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Binance APAC Head Urges the Korean FIU to Approve Gopax’s Exec Changes

Policy & Regulation·May 02, 2023, 9:09 AM

In a recent interview with Yonhap News, Leon Sing Foong, Binance’s head of Asia-Pacific operations, emphasized the importance of the Korean financial regulator approving the change of executives at Gopax, a Korean crypto exchange.

angry emoji on the phone screen
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Delayed staked asset return

Foong’s comments came in the face of mounting worries regarding the delayed repayment of assets stored in Gopax’s staking service GOFi. He explained that 25% of the assets staked in GOFi have been repaid, and the remaining assets will be refunded after approval of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Korean Financial Services Commission (FSC) is secured.

Foong was appointed as the new CEO of Gopax last February, with Binance becoming the largest shareholder of Gopax’s operator Streami. In March, Gopax submitted an application to the FIU to inform them of the executive changes, as required by Korean law.

However, the application review has been delayed amid concerns about the unclear location of Binance’s headquarters and its regulatory challenges in the US.

 

Controlling staking services

The Binance executive believes Gopax’s staking service should be controlled by the exchange itself, rather than a third party. The current GOFi issue emerged due to Gopax’s management of its custody assets through crypto lender Genesis, which ceased trading following the FTX bankruptcy. Foong stated that Binance will require Gopax to maintain reserves of over 100% and eventually phase out the third-party-based service.

According to Foong, Gopax’s business model will remain unchanged, and the exchange will work alongside Binance to bolster liquidity within the local market while enhancing both infrastructure and security measures. He considers internal risk management as Gopax’s top priority.

 

Risk assessment

Foong also expressed confidence in the upcoming risk assessment of Gopax by Jeonbuk Bank, recently requested by the Korean Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). He said that the exchange is healthy, and that Binance has high-level anti-money-laundering (AML) capabilities.

Korean law mandates crypto exchanges supporting Korean won trading have real-name bank accounts, and Gopax receives such accounts from its partner Jeonbuk Bank.

 

Binance’s Asian expansion

Binance’s endeavor to enter the Korean market is part of its strategy to expand its presence in Asia. It was previously reported that Binance Japan will start its operations around June this year.

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