Eleanor Hughes, Chief Legal Officer of Binance, said in an interview with WION that clearer crypto rules are urgently needed to protect users and unlock institutional participation, and that Binance continues to push for regulatory clarity worldwide.
“We are really pushing for clarity with respect to regulation,” said Hughes, according to YouTube. “We have over 20 licences and registrations around the world, but at the moment, the adoption of legislation for crypto is quite low. It’s only about 40% of countries have that legislation. We are also using AI, for example, with respect to compliance controls and mechanisms to stop fraud. From my perspective, you know, we need to be prioritising this now and moving forward with regulation that’s safe and effective for users and also encourages institutional adoption as well.”
Global cryptocurrency regulation remains inconsistent. According to an Atlantic Council tracker examining 75 countries, crypto is fully legal in 45, partially banned in 20, and generally banned in 10. These variations reflect differences in taxation, anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing rules, consumer protection, and licensing requirements.
Institutional adoption of digital assets is expanding. An EY-Parthenon/Coinbase survey of 352 institutional investors found that 83% plan to increase their digital-asset allocations by 2025, citing regulatory clarity as a key factor. The findings indicate continued engagement by asset managers and corporations as tokenization, payments, and custody services develop into 2026.
In December 2025, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market granted full authorization to Binance.com under the ADGM framework. This made it the first global crypto exchange to receive a comprehensive license in the jurisdiction. The approval covers exchange, clearing, custody, and broker-dealer services under a single regulatory framework.
Binance has integrated artificial intelligence into its risk and compliance operations. The company’s “Strategy Factory” AI-based rule engine replaces manual processes with adaptive models designed to detect fraud more quickly and apply controls across onboarding, monitoring, and incident response as risks evolve.
Hughes leads Binance’s global legal function after being appointed General Counsel (now Chief Legal Officer) in July 2023. She brings over 15 years of experience and oversees an 85-lawyer team. Her responsibilities include close coordination with compliance to engage regulators worldwide—aligning with the company’s strategy to responsibly grow the industry while advancing user protection and market integrity.
