Binance tightens market maker rules and warns token issuers to disclose partners

Binance, the largest crypto exchange by volume traded, released guidelines placing tighter obligations on token issuers and liquidity providers.

The new rules require projects to disclose their market maker’s identity, legal entity and contract terms. They also ban profit-sharing and guaranteed-return arrangements, which the exchange said can create incentives that conflict with fair trading. Token lending agreements must clearly say how borrowed tokens can be used.

The rules are “intended to help projects conduct stronger due diligence on their market-maker partners and remind users to be mindful of market conditions,” a Binance spokesperson said in an email. The company is looking to foster “a fair and efficient marketplace, and we do not tolerate misconduct.”

The new policy targets a part of the crypto market that often works behind the scenes. Market makers usually post buy and sell orders to keep trading active and reduce sharp swings in price, which, in a healthy market, can help users buy or sell without major slippage, especially when a token is newly listed.

Binance said problems occur when firms act less like neutral liquidity providers and more like sellers with hidden incentives. The exchange flagged behavior such as selling that clashes with token release schedules, one-sided trading and activity that inflates volume without moving prices in a natural way.

In the blog post, Binance said it will take “swift, decisive action against any misconduct,” including blacklisting market makers. It’s unclear whether Binance plans to name the market makers it blacklists.