Binance Shared User Data With Russia After Exit, Report Says

Despite that public exit, investigators were still able to reach the exchange through a dedicated contact channel previously listed for Russian and Belarusian law-enforcement agencies. Responses containing the relevant client file were returned via that channel, the documents show.

Legal observers have questioned whether Binance was required to supply the information once it had left the Russian market. A cryptocurrency regulation specialist noted that the exchange may have faced no obligation to comply and could even have been constrained by European Union data-protection rules, given the client’s residency in an EU member state. Russia is not recognized as offering an equivalent level of personal-data protection under EU standards, making cross-border transfers subject to strict conditions.

Binance said it cooperates with lawful requests from law-enforcement bodies around the world, provided those requests meet applicable legal, privacy, and regulatory standards. The company stressed that it neither creates nor enforces the laws of any jurisdiction, determines criminal charges, or decides how governments ultimately use the information they receive. Decisions on prosecution rest solely with the relevant authorities.

The exchange declined to comment specifically on the individual case or on potential implications under European privacy regulations.

Commercial withdrawal from a jurisdiction does not automatically erase historical customer records or eliminate channels through which foreign investigators can seek information about past activity. Users who rely on centralized platforms for transfers that later become politically sensitive may find that their identifying data remains accessible long after an exchange announces its departure from a given market, the specialist said.