Crypto Exchange Binance.US Hires Ex-FBI Agent as First Head of Investigations

The U.S. unit of crypto exchange Binance has hired ex-FBI agent BJ Kang as its first head of investigations, according to a statement released Thursday.

The news was first reported by the WSJ.

Kang would work closely with law enforcement and regulators to "identify and mitigate criminal activity" related to digital assets on the company's US platform, said Binance.US.

Binance.US has been increasing its regulatory staff, with headcount in up 145% in that department so far this year and more than 20% of the company's staff now working in legal, compliance and risk operations, according to the WSJ story.

"BJ will lead and oversee all aspects of Binance.US’ commitment to protect users through developing investigations infrastructure to prevent criminal activity related to digital assets along with partnering closely with law enforcement, regulators, and industry peers," a spokesperson for Binance.US told CoinDesk.

Kang previously led insider-trading probes into New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and former hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam among others, and he recently retired from the FBI.

UPDATE (Oct. 20, 16:31 UTC): Adds additional information from company statement.