Binance is facing mounting criticism from law-enforcement officials after a quiet procedural change adopted in April 2025 redirected most foreign requests for user information through the United Arab Emirates and formal Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs), a new report reveals. Investigators warn that the delays caused by treaty-based procedures can be catastrophic in fast-moving crypto cases, where minutes often determine whether scammers are identified, accounts are frozen, or suspicious assets disappear. At a June law-enforcement conference in the Netherlands, police officials from five European countries reportedly described difficulties obtaining information from Binance, noting that the exchange now only responds directly to emergency cases involving terrorism, child abuse, or imminent threats to life. Binance disputes claims of reduced cooperation, stating that overall assistance has increased year over year and that the new procedures represent stronger controls expected of a regulated institution, with its UAE entities operating under the Abu Dhabi Global Market framework.
Separately, Binance’s Android app has vanished from Google Play in multiple EU countries, with users in Spain and Latvia confirming the app’s disappearance. The exchange attributed the issue to recent policy updates by Google affecting crypto apps in “certain markets” and said it is working with Google on a solution. The timing aligns with the full entry into force of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation on July 1, which requires crypto-asset service providers to obtain authorization in at least one member state. Binance had withdrawn its MiCA license application in Greece shortly before the transition period ended and subsequently suspended spot and margin trading in France and other European countries where it lacked authorization. Licensed rivals are capitalizing on the situation: Coinbase established a European hub in Luxembourg, and Ripple secured full authorization there, while both exchanges have targeted Binance customers with incentives to switch. The app availability issue, combined with the law-enforcement tension, underscores Binance’s ongoing regulatory friction as it adapts to a stricter compliance landscape.
