On March 23, Binance launched an internal investigation following a complaint about an employee using insider information for personal gain. This article explores the details of the case and the community's reaction.
Incident Details
A Binance employee used confidential information about an upcoming token generation event for personal gain. Before the official announcement, he bought coins of the project and later sold some assets for a significant profit. Binance has suspended the employee and is considering further actions, including seizing the illicitly obtained assets and turning the case over to authorities. Four whistleblowers who reported the breach received a total of $100,000.
Community Speculation
Binance has not disclosed the name of the culprit, but some users confirm it was Freddie Ng, who profited from the UUU token. He reportedly spent about $6,000 to buy 24.1 million UUU (2.4% of the total supply) and later sold 6 million for a profit of $113,000. The remaining coins are still held in his wallets.
Investment Limits for Binance Employees
Binance has introduced new limits on the amount employees can invest in crypto assets on the platform, capping it at $5,000 per year. These restrictions do not apply to employees in the new assets listing department. A spokesperson for the company also confirmed that tighter policies are applied to staff dealing with 'sensitive' transactions to align the company's customer-first policy.
The investigation at Binance is still ongoing, but the introduction of new rules and tighter control over employee investments demonstrate a serious approach by the company to protect its users and prevent insider trading.