Binance reportedly halts crypto derivatives service in Spain

cointelegraph.com:

Binance stands as one of the most persistent crypto exchanges when it comes to gaining regulatory approval and operational licenses from regulators across the world. In this effort to operate as a fully licensed financial institution, the exchange has stopped offering it's crypto derivatives services in Spain as it reportedly awaits approval from the Spanish regulator, Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV).

As evidenced by Binance’s official Spanish website, the crypto exchange removed the derivatives drop-down menu, which is still available on the global version. According to local news publication La Información, the move to hide derivatives offering in Spain comes as a way to comply with the requirements set by CNMV, a.k.a. the National Securities Market Commission.

The screenshot above shows the missing ‘Derivatives’ option from the Spanish version, which is evidently available in the global version. While the screenshot confirms Binance’s intent to offer services only upon regulatory approval, further investigation from Cointelegraph confirmed that the URLs related to derivative offerings in Spain — including futures, battle and derivative portal — remain active.

However, the local report suggested that Binance will reintroduce the derivatives option only after receiving the regulatory green light in the form of a guarantee certificate from the Bank of Spain (BdE). 

In June 2021, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao revealed plans to expedite the crypto exchange’s growth by working with the regulators, stating:

Binance, along with other crypto exchanges like Coinbase and Bit2Me, is listed in CNMV’s ‘gray list,’ which prohibits organizations from operating as fully licensed entities in the region.

Related: France’s