Binance Holdings Ltd. has confirmed the departure of Tigran Gambaryan, Head of Financial Crime Compliance, effective Friday.
Gambaryan, a former U.S. Internal Revenue Service agent, joined the company in 2021 to strengthen its anti-money laundering and financial compliance operations.
His resignation comes as Binance moves to close several regulatory cases, including a joint motion filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 29, 2025, to stay proceedings in a 2023 lawsuit.
The SEC had accused the company and its founder, Changpeng Zhao, of securities violations, customer fund mismanagement, and offering unregistered securities.
In November 2023, Binance and Zhao pleaded guilty to separate charges relating to violations of U.S. anti-money laundering and sanctions laws.
Binance agreed to pay $4.3 billion, while Zhao paid a $50 million fine and resigned as CEO. He served four months in a U.S. prison.
Gambaryan was previously detained by Nigerian authorities in 2024 for eight months on allegations of money laundering and currency manipulation.
The charges were later dropped, and he was released in October on humanitarian grounds due to health concerns.
Binance CEO Richard Teng later claimed that Nigerian officials had demanded a “secret” payment to resolve the matter, an allegation the Nigerian government denied.
A Binance spokesperson stated, “Tigran has made a lasting impact on Binance, just as he did in his previous roles in law enforcement. We are deeply grateful for his dedication in transforming our financial crimes compliance organization.”
Gambaryan was known for his work in tracking illicit crypto transactions during his tenure at the IRS and played a central role in Binance’s collaboration with law enforcement agencies on asset recovery and regulatory matters.
His departure reflects continued internal changes at Binance as the company faces regulatory realignments in the U.S., Europe, and key African jurisdictions. The exit follows earlier structural changes implemented to address compliance shortfalls raised by global regulators.
Binance remains the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and continues to face regulatory monitoring across multiple regions.
