Binance.US added support for USD1, the stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial (WLFI). The move sparked controversy after U.S. Senator Chris Murphy suggested it indicated potential corruption. Binance.US quickly responded, emphasizing that the listing was purely a business decision.
The global Binance exchange had already listed USD1 in May 2025. A month prior, Wall Street Journal reported that Binance was negotiating the listing while simultaneously seeking lighter regulatory oversight in the U.S.
At that time, USD1 was not yet available to Binance.US customers, which operates as a separate entity from Binance.
The listing came shortly after former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) received a pardon from President Donald Trump. Media reports indicate that lobbying for the pardon cost Binance roughly $860,000. Democratic lawmakers criticized the move, sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting an investigation and urging measures to prevent conflicts of interest.
Concerns centered on the close relationship between WLFI, USD1, Binance, Binance.US, and CZ. Arguments included that USD1 was launched on Binance’s blockchain and that Binance had financed a related investment deal through MGX.
Senator Murphy commented publicly:
“A week after Trump pardoned Binance’s co-founder (for a series of crimes including financing terrorists and sexual offenders), Binance begins promoting Trump’s cryptocurrency. The White House is a 24/7 machine of corruption.”
Binance.US refuted the allegations of political favoritism, stating:
“Senator, before listing any asset on Binance.US—be it a stablecoin, an ecosystem token, or a meme coin—we conduct thorough due diligence and legal review. USD1 and WLFI are already registered on over 20 major exchanges, including U.S.-based platforms Coinbase, Robinhood, and Kraken, and both were approved by our listing committee as part of its standard procedures. This was a business decision, nothing more.”
At the time of writing, Senator Murphy had not responded to the exchange’s statement.
