Binance CEO: No Exposure to Collapsed Silicon Valley Bank

In Brief

• Binance claims to have no exposure to embattled Silicon Valley Bank.
• The exchange has suspended its USDC-BUSD auto-conversion because of market conditions.
• CEO Changpeng Zhao suggested that he might be interested in buying a bank in the future.

Binance CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao said on March 10 that the exchange has no exposure to the embattled U.S. bank Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

The disclosure had become necessary after reports emerged that some crypto banks like Circle and bankrupt lender BlockFi had exposure to the firm. According to CZ, Binance has no exposure to the bank, and its users’ funds were safe.

Binance Suspends USDC-BUSD Auto-Conversion
Meanwhile, Binance has suspended USD Coin (USDC) auto-conversion to its Binance USD (BUSD), citing current market conditions. The crypto exchange said it was witnessing high inflows that have increased the conversion burden. “This is a normal risk-management procedural step to take while we monitor the situation,” it added.

With this move, Binance joins a growing list of exchanges that have stopped supporting USDC conversions following its issues with SVB. Others on the list include Coinbase and Crypto.com.

While some within the community described USDC’s current situation as karma for its alleged role in BUSD’s earlier regulatory issue, CZ said he believes “[Circle] didn’t do anything to hurt BUSD. Anything that hurts one player hurts themselves.”

Is Changpeng Zhao Considering Buying a Bank?
Zhao hinted that he could consider buying banks following the recent issues with crypto-friendly banks. CZ tweeted a 2022 news story that stated that Binance was considering purchasing a bank. He said he is “not sure” if the time is suitable for the exchange to buy a bank.

Binance has made several investments in traditional institutions. In 2022, the firm made a $200 million strategic investment in the media firm Forbes. The crypto exchange also backed Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition.

Meanwhile, Binance is not the only crypto exchange considering a foray into the traditional financial space. BeInCrypto previously reported that Kraken said it has intentions to open a bank. Crypto-friendly banks have come under scrutiny following FTX’s collapse. The recent failure of SVB and Silvergate has further increased the scrutiny of these institutions.

Disclaimer
BeInCrypto has reached out to company or individual involved in the story to get an official statement about the recent developments, but it has yet to hear back.