EU Regulators Press Binance Over ‘Reverse Solicitation’ Exemption
reverse solicitation exemption — European Union regulators are investigating Binance‘s use of a ‘reverse solicitation’ exemption to continue serving EU clients from its Abu Dhabi entity, months after the exchange lost its official registrations under the bloc’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework.
According to a report, authorities are probing how the world’s largest crypto exchange is maintaining its European customer base. The ‘reverse solicitation’ provision allows a firm based outside the EU to provide services to a client if the client initiates the contact, a rule Binance appears to be relying on following the loss of its MiCA licenses earlier this year.
The scrutiny highlights the ongoing regulatory challenges for Binance in Europe, a key market, as it operates under a new global structure with regional hubs. The exchange’s ability to legally serve EU customers is now contingent on proving that all business originates from unsolicited client requests.
This investigation represents a significant test of the application and limits of the reverse solicitation rule under MiCA, which was designed to provide a harmonized regulatory framework for the 27-nation bloc.
Original reporting: Decrypt