• According to financial experts, Binance’s efforts to increase transparency of its reserves raise questions about its corporate structure, Bitcoin liabilities, and internal control effectiveness.
• The audit firm Mazars’ report fails to provide adequate details regarding Binance’s financial standing.
• Differences in the aggregate Bitcoin liabilities have raised concerns about the exchange’s 1:1 ratio of reserves to customer assets not being met.
The cryptocurrency exchange Binance has recently made an effort to increase the openness of its reserves, but this has led to questions about its financial standing. Experts in the fields of accounting and finance have expressed their concerns to The Wall Street Journal about the company’s corporate structure, Bitcoin liabilities and the effectiveness of its internal controls.
The audit firm Mazars’ report on the exchange has been found to be short on details regarding the financial standing of Binance. The former investment manager and member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) noted that the report did not inspire confidence in investors. Additionally, the lack of details regarding the company’s business structure has raised eyebrows. Despite the fact that Binance has undergone a corporate reorganization for nearly two years, its chief strategy officer, Patrick Hillmann, was unable to identify its parent company, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Furthermore, differences in the aggregate Bitcoin liabilities have been highlighted. Without taking into consideration assets lent to customers through loans or margin accounts, the exchange’s proof of reserves reveals that Binance was 97% collateralized, meaning that the 1:1 ratio of reserves to customer assets was not met. Mazars’ letter explains this as follows: “The analysis did not consider assets that are loaned to customers. This means that the analysis does not consider assets that are not held on the platform account but are instead held as collateral for loans made to customers.”
The fact that Binance’s reserves do not meet the 1:1 ratio of reserves to customer assets has raised concerns among financial experts. The lack of details regarding the company’s corporate structure, Bitcoin liabilities and internal control effectiveness has further complicated the situation. Thus, it is important that Binance provide more details about its financial standing in order to reassure investors and maintain the trust of its customers.