binance.com and binance.us are not the same thing. They are two legally independent companies. While the brand and founding team are related, accounts, assets, features, and fees are completely separate. Mainland China users should use the international version, binance.com. You can directly access the Binance Official Site, download the Binance Official App on your phone, and Apple users can reference the iOS Install Guide. Conclusion first: binance.com is the global version supporting 350+ coins; binance.us only serves US residents, supports around 150 coins, and has entirely different features and compliance requirements.
How the Two Companies Relate
Many people assume binance.us is binance.com's American branch. That's not accurate.
Who Runs binance.com
binance.com is operated by Binance Holdings Ltd, headquartered in the Cayman Islands, with actual offices spread across Dubai, Singapore, London, and elsewhere. Founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) stepped down as CEO at the end of 2023. The current CEO is Richard Teng. It serves 180+ countries and regions globally, but not the US.
Who Runs binance.us
binance.us is operated by BAM Trading Services, registered in Florida, USA, as an independent American company. It partners with Binance Holdings through brand licensing, but finances, technology, and management teams are separate. The current CEO is Norman Reed. It only serves US residents.
Why Split Into Two Entities
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) enforce strict requirements on crypto platforms, including capital adequacy, anti-money-laundering, and trading pair review. To enter the US market, Binance set up the independent entity BAM Trading in 2019 and authorized the Binance brand in a "white-label" arrangement. US users accessing binance.com are automatically redirected to binance.us, and the reverse is not allowed.
Significant Gap in Supported Coins
This is the most immediately visible difference.
Coins on binance.com
As of early 2026, binance.com lists around 380 cryptocurrencies with over 1,400 trading pairs. These include majors like BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL, and XRP, plus many altcoins, meme coins, and new project launches (Launchpad).
Coins on binance.us
binance.us lists about 155 cryptocurrencies with roughly 450 trading pairs. After SEC review, it removed a large batch of tokens considered "potentially securities." For instance, SOL, ADA, MATIC, and ATOM were delisted in 2023-2024 (some have since been restored), while AXS, SAND, and others remain untradable.
New Listing Speed
New coins list quickly on binance.com — popular project launches are often only days or weeks apart. binance.us is conservative with new listings, requiring legal review — generally 3-12 months behind the international version, with some never listing at all.
Fee and Trading Structure Comparison
There are clear differences in the fee structure.
| Dimension | binance.com | binance.us |
|---|---|---|
| Spot Maker Base Fee | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Spot Taker Base Fee | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| BNB Discount | 25% discount with BNB | 25% discount with BNB |
| Stablecoin Pairs (BUSD/USDT) | Some zero-fee promotions | None |
| USD Fiat Deposit | Not supported | ACH / Wire supported |
| Credit Card Purchase | Multi-currency | USD only |
| Derivatives (Futures) | USDT-margined, coin-margined | Not supported |
| Margin Trading | Supported, up to 10x | Not supported |
| Options | Supported | Not supported |
| Staking | 150+ coins | About 20 coins |
The biggest difference is derivatives. US regulations forbid retail access to high-leverage derivatives, so binance.us has dropped futures, options, and margin entirely — only spot and staking remain.
Are Accounts Interchangeable?
No, they're fully independent.
One Account Can't Use Both Sides
Accounts registered on binance.com can't log in to binance.us, and vice versa. You need to register separately and do KYC separately.
Assets Can't Be Directly Transferred
If you have a binance.com account and want to move assets to binance.us, you must use the withdrawal process. Withdraw from binance.com to a binance.us deposit address and pay miner fees at blockchain network rates. There is no internal transfer.
KYC Requirements
- binance.com: One of passport, driver's license, or ID card is enough. Users from most countries can pass.
- binance.us: Must be a US identity (SSN, US address, US phone number). Foreigners may fail even while physically in the US.
2FA and Login Devices Are Separate
Google Authenticator keys differ across the two sides. Login device lists are separate, and security settings don't affect each other.
Feature and Interface Differences
Visually similar at first glance, but heavier use reveals the gap.
Signature Features on binance.com
- Launchpad: New project token sales
- Launchpool: Stake to mine new coins
- NFT Marketplace: Full NFT trading
- Binance Square: Social plus news
- P2P Trading: Peer-to-peer fiat trading
- VIP Trader System: Large-trader fees drop below 0.02%
- Earn Products: 40+ categories including flexible, fixed, dual investment, DeFi mining, etc.
Streamlined Features on binance.us
- Spot trading
- Staking (limited coins)
- Buy crypto (credit card and bank transfer)
- Simplified asset management
- No Launchpad, no NFT, no P2P, no futures
In terms of UI, binance.us looks cleaner — fewer features mean shorter menus, suitable for ordinary US users who simply want to buy BTC or ETH.
Regulation and Compliance Intensity
binance.us faces far more compliance pressure than binance.com.
Regulation Facing binance.com
Subject to local regulation in different countries — Dubai VARA, Bahrain CBB, France AMF, Italy OAM, etc. Standards vary by country; some only require registration while others demand a full financial license. In 2023, it settled with the US Department of Justice for a $4.3 billion fine, pledging to strengthen AML and sanctions compliance.
Regulation Facing binance.us
Subject to multiple jurisdictions including the SEC, FinCEN, CFTC, and state financial regulators. In 2023, it was sued by the SEC over unregistered securities trading allegations, with the case dragging until a partial settlement in 2025. Every new feature and new coin must go through legal review, which significantly slows launch pace.
Which Should Chinese Users Use?
Chinese users can only use binance.com and cannot register or use binance.us.
- binance.us registration requires a US SSN and a US address — Chinese identity can't pass KYC
- binance.com accepts Chinese passports for KYC (since September 2021 Binance stopped actively serving mainland China, but users holding Chinese ID can still register)
- When logging in to binance.com, if a US IP is detected, you'll be force-redirected to binance.us — so Chinese residents inside the US will have a harder time using binance.com
FAQ
Q1: Can I move my binance.com account to binance.us?
Not through an internal transfer. Only via crypto withdrawal — withdraw from binance.com to a binance.us deposit address over the blockchain network. Miner fees follow the network rate at the time — for example, BTC network might cost $10-30, while USDT on TRC20 costs only $1.
Q2: Can Americans use binance.com?
Strictly speaking, no. binance.com's terms explicitly forbid US residents from using it. If your IP is detected as US, you're redirected. Some Americans bypass this via VPN, but once risk control identifies this, the account may be frozen — assets can be withdrawn but not traded.
Q3: Which is safer?
Both use cold/hot wallet separation, the SAFU user asset protection fund (binance.com's reaches $1 billion), and enforce 2FA. Because binance.us is regulated in the US, customer funds must be held at US-compliant custodian banks, and bankruptcy liquidation protections are legally stronger. Daily use of binance.com is also secure enough, but for large assets, spreading across venues is safer.
Q4: Which has lower fees?
The base rate is the same (0.1%), but binance.com often runs promotions — the BTC/FDUSD pair was zero-fee for a long stretch. VIP-tier discounts are deeper on binance.com, bottoming out at 0.012% at VIP 9. Overall binance.com is more cost-effective, especially for large traders.
Q5: Which has the better app?
Both are called Binance but are two independent apps. binance.com's app has complete functionality, with global downloads over 100 million. binance.us's app is streamlined, with about 5 million downloads. Interface style is similar, but logins can't cross — install the wrong app and your account won't work.