Binance doubles down on APAC, plans 5 new licenses this year to expand global footprint

Binance is looking to deepen its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

SB Seker, the company’s regional head, told Nikkei Asia that they plan to obtain five additional licenses in Asia this year, which would bring its global regulatory footprint to more than 20 jurisdictions.

The largest crypto exchange by trading volume currently holds approvals in Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, and Thailand across the Asia-Pacific region. South Korea is expected to join that list once the firm completes its acquisition of local exchange Gopax.

Seker, who joined the firm last September after previous roles at Crypto.com, Ant Group, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, declined to name specific markets but noted some are close to finalization while others involve ongoing discussions with local authorities.

The licensing effort reflects a broader push to meet compliance standards across key markets while deepening product offerings to attract users. The platform has more than 300M registered accounts globally.

In 2025, Binance recorded over $7.1 trillion in spot trading volume and accounted for nearly 40% of activity among the top 10 centralized exchanges, according to CoinGecko data.

A 2025 Consensus report estimated that 535 million adults in the Asia-Pacific region hold or use digital assets.

The company exited direct retail services in Singapore in 2021 after withdrawing its license application amid a tough regulatory stance. It still serves institutional clients there.

Seker described Singapore as a potentially interesting market but said the retail segment remains small.

Addressing recent reports that alleged Binance moved about 1.7 billion in funds tied to illicit entities, Seker said the claims lacked evidence and reiterated that the company maintains strict know-your-customer and compliance procedures across its operations.

The compliance team has grown by 30% annually over the past two years and now includes roughly 1,500 professionals.