AMID CRYPTO'S WILD WEST, BINANCE SAYS A SHERIFF IS NEEDED

The cryptocurrency market gets likened to the Wild West by critics, and now a key player is asking for sheriffs to come to town.

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Binance, the world’s largest exchange for trading Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, says it’s time for global regulators to establish rules for crypto markets. It released a list of “10 fundamental rights for crypto users” this week that it wants to guide discussions with regulators, policymakers and other exchanges.

The company acknowledges that crypto platforms have an obligation to protect users and to implement processes to prevent financial crimes, along with the responsibility to work with regulators and policymakers to set standards to keep users safe.

The call for regulation might seem strange for an industry whose popularity exploded in some part precisely because it sought to operate outside the heavy hand of governments and other authorities. But Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who goes by “CZ,” says more regulation for the industry is inevitable, and this allows his company to play a role in the discussions. It may also help draw in people who are still hesitant to get into crypto.

“This year, most of the regulators around the world are looking at crypto intently, and many of them are communicating with us,” Zhao said. “So we feel this is the right time” to issue a call for a global framework.