Binance sues Wall Street Journal as newspaper says U.S. Dept. of Justice is investigating Iran transactions

Finance Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Binance sues Wall Street Journal as newspaper says U.S. Dept. of Justice is investigating Iran transactions The situation adds pressure to Binance, which is already operating under a compliance monitor following its $4.3 billion anti-money laundering and sanctions settlement in 2023. By Francisco Rodrigues | Edited by Sheldon Reback Mar 11, 2026, 12:29 p.m. Make us preferred on Google (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk) What to know : The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the alleged use of Binance by Iranian networks to evade U.S. sanctions, with over $1 billion in crypto transfers under scrutiny. Binance is suing the Wall Street Journal for defamation for an earlier article on the same subject. Binance said it filed a defamation lawsuit against Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, on the same day the newspaper published a report claiming the U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether Iran used the world's largest crypto exchange to move funds in violation of American sanctions. In the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the company said the newspaper published “false and defamatory statements” about its compliance practices and handling of Iranian-linked transactions in an article published on Feb. 23. In Wednesday's story, the Journal reported that DOJ officials contacted individuals with knowledge of the transactions as they gathered evidence tied to cryptocurrencies that moved through the platform. It cited people familiar with the situation. Binance Wall Street Journal Crypto Exchange DOJ More For You Pudgy Penguins: Challenging the Pokemon and Disney Legacy in the Global IP Race By CoinDesk Research Feb 27, 2026 Commissioned by Pudgy Penguins CoinDesk Research looks into how Pudgy Penguins disrupts traditional toys market via a phygital model. With 2M+ units sold, they scale via global partnerships and events. What to know : Disrupting a Stagnant Market : Pudgy Penguins is utilizing a "Negative CAC" model to challenge the traditional $31.7B licensed toy industry by treating physical merchandise as a profitable user acquisition tool rather than just a final product. View Full Report More For You Binance, PayPal and Ripple join Mastercard’s massive new push into blockchain payments By Helene Braun , AI Boost | Edited by Sam Reynolds 30 minutes ago More than 85 partners will work with Mastercard to connect on-chain payments with banks, merchants and global commerce as part of the payment giant's recent crypto program. What to know : Mastercard has launched a Crypto Partner Program with more than 85 companies to connect blockchain technology with its global payments infrastructure. The initiative focuses on practical uses such as cross-border transfers, business-to-business payments and global payouts by linking on-chain tools with existing payment rails. The program builds on Mastercard’s earlier crypto efforts and mirrors moves by rivals like Visa, as traditional payment networks seek to integrate digital assets while navigating regulatory and operational complexities. Read full story Latest Crypto News Binance, PayPal and Ripple join Mastercard’s massive new push into blockchain payments 30 minutes ago Bitcoin stuck under $70,000 as investors play it safe before U.S. inflation report 1 hour ago Bitcoin drops on Iran war uncertainty, AI tokens jump 1 hour ago Oracle jumps 11% premarket as AI demand challenges 'SaaS apocalypse' fears 2 hours ago Coinbase-backed AI payments protocol wants to fix micropayment but demand is just not there yet 4 hours ago Next week could spice things up for bitcoin as seven central banks face an inflation test 5 hours ago Top Stories Bitcoin traders bet on a rally above $80,000 7 hours ago Dogecoin zooms as Elon Musk announces X Money launch date for April 7 hours ago XRP Ledger transactions jump to 2.7M as price stays rangebound 7 hours ago Ripple to acquire Australian financial services license as APAC payments volume doubles 7 hours ago DeFi lending platform Aave sees a rare $27 million liquidations after a price glitch 14 hours ago Ethereum's on fire with record activity, but ether price and blockchain fees lag 8 hours ago