Ether ETFs Push Green Streak to 14 Days as Outflows Return to Bitcoin ETFs
Tigran Gambaryan, Binance Exec Who Was Detained in Nigeria for Nearly a Year, Departs Crypto Exchange
- News In 4 Seconds
Francisco Rodrigues
- 0
- 25 minutes read
BTC
$103,675.98
–
0.98%
ETH
$2,465.62
–
5.34%
USDT
$1.0008
+
0.07%
XRP
$2.1445
–
2.52%
BNB
$642.32
–
3.97%
SOL
$148.13
–
2.81%
USDC
$1.0002
+
0.07%
DOGE
$0.1757
–
7.29%
TRX
$0.2765
+
1.15%
ADA
$0.6419
–
5.69%
HYPE
$34.86
–
1.00%
SUI
$3.0750
–
2.58%
LINK
$13.23
–
4.05%
AVAX
$19.47
–
3.84%
LEO
$8.7889
–
0.43%
XLM
$0.2613
–
1.76%
BCH
$387.69
–
3.08%
TON
$3.1084
–
2.90%
SHIB
$0.0₄1233
–
4.05%
HBAR
$0.1650
–
1.25%
Share this article
By Francisco Rodrigues|Edited by Parikshit Mishra
Jun 6, 2025, 7:58 a.m.
- Gambaryan was detained in Nigeria for eight months and later released.
- He was once an IRS investigator and joined the crypto exchange in 2021.
- “There’s a growing need for trusted, experienced operators, people who understand how to translate between technology, enforcement, and compliance,” Gambaryan wrote in his departure message on LinkedIn.
Tigran Gambaryan, the former U.S. federal agent who led Binance’s financial crime compliance efforts, announced that he is leaving the company after a tumultuous four-year tenure.
Gambaryan, once a IRS investigator, joined Binance in 2021 when the crypto exchange was under growing scrutiny for its lax compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don’t miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today.See all newslettersBy signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to ourterms of useandprivacy policy.
At the time, Binance had no investigations team. Under his leadership, the company built a 100-person global unit staffed with former prosecutors and federal agents, he said on social media.
However, His tenure at Binance took a dramatic turn in 2024, when Nigerian authorities detained him on allegations tied to the exchange’s operations. Gambaryan spent eight months in prison before being released on humanitarian grounds following bipartisan U.S. political pressure.
He was ultimately cleared of charges, though Nigeria continued to pursue penalties against Binance.
Later on, he said it would be an honor to serve his country again, if asked to do so.
In his departure message, Gambaryan reflected on his time at Binance and expressed a desire to continue bridging the worlds of enforcement, technology, and compliance.
“There’s a growing need for trusted, experienced operators, people who understand how to translate between technology, enforcement, and compliance,” he wrote.
“That’s where I intend to continue making a difference,” he added.
Read more: Binance’s Tigran Gambaryan: ‘It Would Be an Honor to Serve My Country Again’
Francisco is a reporter for CoinDesk with a passion for cryptocurrencies and personal finance. Before joining CoinDesk he worked at major financial and crypto publications. He owns bitcoin, ether, solana, and PAXG above CoinDesk’s $1,000 disclosure threshold.
