The Brazilian parliament may soon summon Guilherme Haddad, the director of Binance Brazil, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged pyramid schemes involving cryptocurrencies. The request for Haddad’s summoning came from congressman Alfredo Gaspar and is set to be voted on next Tuesday. The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies will decide whether Haddad will face questioning. This development closely follows a series of multinational regulatory crackdowns on the world’s largest crypto exchange, with Binance facing scrutiny in countries such as the United States, France, Holland, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.
The reason behind Haddad’s possible summoning lies in the growing concern among global regulators about Binance’s operations. In Brazil, Binance is being investigated for reportedly offering derivative market products without appropriate authorization, an issue that dates back to 2020. The crypto exchange has not yet commented on this matter.
Guilherme Haddad, CEO of Binance Brazil since late 2022, has familial connections to Brazil’s Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad. However, Saori Honorato, a reporter for the Brazilian news site Portal do Bitcoin, suggests that this relationship should not have any bearing on the investigation.
Honorato also reveals that Brazil has established a special committee dedicated to examining financial pyramid schemes involving cryptocurrency. Binance has already been invited by this committee to offer explanations for their actions. Although congress has stated that they are not against Binance, they believe that greater transparency is needed in this case.
Binance is also facing pressure from the Brazilian equivalent of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the CVM, which has urged the crypto exchange to cease offering Bitcoin futures products to Brazilian customers. Furthermore, Binance is entangled in a legal battle with Capitual, their former Brazilian payment processor. The dispute began in 2022 when a 20-day withdrawal suspension from Binance led to approximately $94 million dollars being frozen. Binance’s petition to unfreeze the funds was denied by the court on May 18.
While the ongoing investigations and legal battles raise concerns about Binance’s operations, it is crucial to remember that regulatory scrutiny serves to protect consumers and ensure a more transparent market within the crypto space. While Binance and other crypto exchanges may face challenges in navigating regulatory waters, the ultimate aim is to strike a balance between innovation and security in this rapidly evolving industry.
Source: Decrypt
