Binance US slashes fees as trading volumes remain depressed

• Binance.US slashes fees to 0% maker, 0.01% taker on 20+ crypto pairs, including ETH and ADA.
• Exchange volume share fell to 0.20% after the SEC lawsuit, down from around 10% last year.
• Fee cuts aim to win back traders in a US market now led by Coinbase and Kraken.

Binance.US, the American affiliate of global crypto exchange Binance, has cut fees on more than 20 trading pairs as it struggles to revive activity on its platform.

The exchange announced it will now offer 0% maker fees and 0.01% taker fees across the pairs, including Ethereum, Solana, BNB, and Cardano.

The updated fee schedule does not require any subscription or minimum trading volumes.

Maker fees apply to orders that provide liquidity by resting on the order book, while taker fees apply to orders that immediately match against existing orders.

As part of the change, Binance.US also expanded its “Tier 0” pricing model to include more than 20 additional pairs.

All Tier 0 pairs, including BTC/USD — which replaces BTC/USDC — now carry a 0.01% taker fee while maintaining 0% maker fees.

The Tier 0 structure was first introduced in 2022 with bitcoin trading pairs, a move that temporarily boosted trading volumes at the time.

Binance.US is aiming for a similar effect with its latest effort to reset pricing in a market where it has lost significant share.

Market share plunge since SEC case

Trading activity on Binance.US has declined sharply since mid-2023, when the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Binance, Binance.US, and co-founder Changpeng Zhao.

In June 2023, the exchange suspended US dollar deposits and withdrawals, leaving it to operate solely as a crypto-to-crypto venue.

The absence of fiat rails contributed to a steep decline in volumes.

According to The Block’s Data Dashboard, Binance.US’s share of US dollar–supporting exchange volume has fallen to just 0.20% as of August, compared with roughly 10% prior to the SEC’s action.

Although the SEC dropped its case against Binance and related entities in May, trading activity has remained subdued.

Earlier this year, Binance.US restored dollar deposits and withdrawals for the first time in nearly two years.

However, the move has yet to translate into meaningful increases in trading volume.

Chris Blodgett, chief operating officer of Binance.US, declined to provide reasons for the continued low activity but reaffirmed the company’s broader strategy.

“We look forward to continuing our mission of building the best and safest digital asset trading experience in the US with high liquidity and tight spreads for even better price discovery and the best possible value,” he said.

Fee cuts aim to regain competitive edge

The latest pricing changes represent another attempt by Binance.US to regain relevance in a US crypto market now dominated by Coinbase and Kraken.

By lowering fees to near-zero levels, the exchange is seeking to re-establish itself as the country’s lowest-cost trading venue.

Whether that strategy alone will succeed remains uncertain.

The broader US regulatory environment has become more accommodating to crypto, with several high-profile cases against major crypto firms — including Coinbase, Uniswap, and OpenSea — recently dismissed.

Binance and Zhao, meanwhile, agreed to pay more than $4 billion last year to resolve a Justice Department probe into Bank Secrecy Act violations.

For Binance.US, the new fee cuts highlight an effort to stabilize operations and rebuild trust with users after a challenging period.

While low-cost trading may attract some participants back to the platform, sustaining growth will depend on broader market dynamics and the company’s ability to navigate the shifting US regulatory landscape.

The post Binance US slashes fees as trading volumes remain depressed appeared first on CoinJournal.