Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has clarified reports that the crypto giant’s new decentralized exchange, Binance DEX, will block users from 29 countries, stating that users in affected countries can access the exchange directly through a number of wallets without having to go through the website. This will appease those who were worried that they would not be able to access the new exchange, following messages popping up stating that users in countries such as the USA and South Korea would be blocked.
Wallets Offer Alternative Access
Zhao took to Twitter to clarify that, while visitors to the Binance DEX website from the 29 countries listed in the popup would indeed be blocked, the website was not the only route in. Nine wallets, including Binance’s own Trust Wallet, would have access to the interface and would not be geoblocked, allowing users to trade as normal:
The messages being passed is wrong. https://t.co/VtrSxEaW22 (the website) blocks certain countries; DEX (the blockchain) does not, it can’t.
And there are plenty of wallets support trading on DEX directly.
Website ≠ Blockchain. ???
— CZ Binance (@cz_binance) June 3, 2019
Other users had suggested using a VPN to gain access to the geoblocked sites, something that Zhao was careful not to condone, although he did state that “VPNs is a necessity, not optional.” However, this was likely based (at least publicly) on the security enhancements brought by VPNs rather than their ability to change your country of origin online.
Binance DEX Sees Liftoff
Binance DEX has seen a surge in popularity and volume recently, thanks in the main to the Harmony IEO being launched on it, as well as a slew of other tokens. This level of growth has seen it climb into the top 100 crypto exchanges for volume at 97, only four places shy of the Winklevoss twins enterprise Gemini. With more IEOs planned and more coins set to be added, including Binance’s own stablecoin, it’s only a matter of time before it starts racing up the charts.
