Binance and Zhao allegedly undermined the company's own compliance, courted U.S. investors and traded against its customers using market-making companies.

Financial watchdog alleges Binance lied to regulators and syphoned investors’ funds into separate company

The SEC’s complaint also alleged that Binance and Zhao secretly control customers’ assets, allowing them to commingle and divert customer funds.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday sued Binance and its CEO, Changpeng Zhao. The Wall Street Journal reported that the lawsuit accuses the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange of breaking US securities rules and for operating an illegal exchange.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Binance and its Founder & CEO Changpeng Zhao, accusing the exchange of violating securities law. Yahoo Finance's Jennifer Schonberger reports the details.

SEC says billions in customer funds were directed to Zhao’s firm Merit Peak via a holding company called Key Vision Development Limited.

The SEC filing came a day after the SEC sued Binance, its billionaire CEO Zhao, and the operator of its US affiliate exchange, for allegedly operating a 'web of deception.'