Binance.US has asked the judge in its case with the SEC to reject the freezing of assets, saying it would severely affect the exchange. It also defended the safety of customer assets.
Binance.US made a legal filing on June 12, asking the presiding judge to reject the United States Securities and Exchange Commissionās (SEC) request to freeze the exchangeās assets. Binance stated that the order would significantly impact its business and hurt customers.
Binance.US Fights Back
The filing that the exchange made was blunt in its description,
SponsoredāOperations would quickly grind to a halt. With a freeze of all corporate assets, banking partners would most likely cease to honor requests to transfer funds for any purpose, including customer redemptions.ā
The fact that customersā funds will be affected could have some weight. The SEC argued that the exchange violated securities laws for years, thus putting customersā funds at risk. The freezing of assets could very well have the same outcome.
The SEC lawsuit targets Binance.US, the U.S. entity of the exchange, distinct from Binance global. Check out our guide on Binance vs. Binance.US to learn more:
The defense attorneys called the SECās request draconian. This is the general consensus among analysts at the moment, namely that the SEC and Chair Gary Gensler are taking a draconian approach to matters.
Hiring Former SEC Official
To win the legal battle against the SEC, Binance.US has hired a former SEC enforcement co-director, George Canellos. The latter is the global head of the litigation and arbitration group at Milbank, and Binance hired three others from the firm for the case.
It will certainly be useful to have Canellosā skills at the moment. Binance.US has said that payments and banking partners have signaled that they will suspend support for all dollar channels on June 13.
Binance Sees 78% Decline in Market Depth
There are other reasons why Binance.US will have to ramp up its defense. The exchangeās market depth is down by 78% since the SEC lawsuit was announced. Closer inspection shows liquidity took a massive hit.
Market makers have flocked out of the exchange, instantly tanking market depth. Without sufficient liquidity, the exchange could face a significant uphill battle to get back to its old position ā if it can survive the legal battle against the SEC in the first place.
