France-based regulator Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR) has allegedly been running additional Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks on several cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance.
The reported move comes during a period when Paris is lobbying for further authority over Europe’s crypto industry under the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation. As detailed by Bloomberg on 17 October 2025, the French regulator is looking into the AML compliance of Binance and other companies conducting similar operations. The allegations cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter who stated that these checks began in 2024 and remain confidential.
The same sources mention that the ACPR allegedly instructed Binance to improve its risk controls in 2024. A representative from the company stated to Cointelegraph that engagement with the regulator is an ongoing part of operating as an AML-registered organisation. Also, they added that reviews come as a routine part of the ACPR’s regulatory oversight, and the authority is doing these checks across multiple cryptocurrency exchanges.
With these inspections, the ACPR checks whether institutions fall in line with regulations, with a focus on AML and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CFT). Last year’s verifications resulted in Binance being asked to further optimise its compliance and risk controls. Usually, companies are allowed to address these issues in the span of several months, frequently by hiring additional compliance or information technology staff to manage risk and improve their cybersecurity systems.
France’s stance on crypto
These checks come amid a shifting stance on the crypto industry from France and the country’s aim to have a more prominent role in European regulation. In September 2025, France announced that it may intend to block cryptocurrency companies operating locally under licences obtained in other European countries.
Moreover, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the French securities regulator, mentioned concerns over possible regulatory enforcement gaps resulting from unequal standards across the EU. This would lead to weakening the regulatory passporting brought by Europe’s MiCA regulation. In October 2025, the Bank of France requested the EU to allow the Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) to control the cryptocurrency industry. Officials from the central bank cautioned against the fragmentation of oversight, underlining that using national regulators may lead to uneven enforcement across the EU.
