Binance, the world’s leading crypto exchange, is romancing France with a $113 million initiative with France FinTech. The initiative “Objective Moon” which was announced in November, supports the development of the French and European blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystem.
French crypto hardware firm Ledger and OpenClassroom, an ed-tech company, have also collaborated in Objective Moon to develop educational programs. Ariel Wengroff, editor-in-chief at Ledger, said the company became part of the initiative to increase awareness of crypto, blockchain and Web3. She believes its for the greater good of the industry.
Wengroff says there is still so much curiosity about the space. For mainstream adoption, she believes individuals need to be educated about it.
David Princay, Binance’s French GM, said the Objective Moon aims to develop an ecosystem. It will foster and accelerate the ecosystem. He said they need to be able to capture the talent and have capabilities to grow bigger. Princay revealed they have plans for an R&D center for the next evolution.
However, he has been tight-lipped about Binance’s significant investment in France being a precursor to establishing its headquarters in the European country. Princay said there was nothing to say about it.
But authorities have been keeping an eye on the crypto exchange. France’s central bank, in November, called Binance to have strong checks and policies on anti-money laundering if it wants to have a foothold in the country. Princay highlighted that Cedric O, France’s digital minister, has been very clear with the company. He said Binance is in talks with French regulators for licensing.
In regards to regulation for crypto in Europe, Princay believes that it is a positive sign for innovation. He said the cryptocurrency market needs to be fully scrutinized and audited for it to pass. This is for the enhancement of the industry. Princay added it is a sign of trust, compliance and confidence.
Binance aims to be 100% compliant in every activity and country it operates.
