Binance, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, was officially founded in July 2017. The company was established by Changpeng Zhao (often referred to as CZ), a prominent figure in the blockchain industry, along with a co-founding team. The initial global launch of the platform took place in China, but due to evolving regulatory landscapes in the country, Binance quickly relocated its operations to other jurisdictions, including Japan and Malta, before establishing its primary global headquarters in the Cayman Islands.
The question "When was Binance founded?" often gets confused with "When was the Binance app released?" While the company was founded in 2017, the Binance mobile application—which allows users to trade, stake, and manage their portfolios on the go—was released shortly after the platform's initial web launch. The first version of the Binance app was officially rolled out in late 2017 to early 2018, designed to provide a seamless, secure, and fast mobile trading experience. Since then, the Binance app has undergone countless updates, evolving from a basic trading tool into a full-fledged ecosystem supporting spot trading, futures, margin trading, NFTs, and a built-in Web3 wallet.
Understanding the founding timeline of Binance is crucial for both new and experienced crypto traders. The platform's rapid growth from a simple token sale (its Initial Coin Offering, or ICO, of the BNB token was held in July 2017) to a global powerhouse with over 200 million registered users demonstrates its resilience and innovation. The Binance app’s availability on both iOS and Android has been a key driver of this expansion, making cryptocurrency accessible to users in over 180 countries.
Today, Binance continues to operate as a centralized exchange (CEX) while also pushing boundaries in decentralized finance (DeFi). The company frequently updates its app to comply with regional regulations and to enhance security features, such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and withdrawal whitelist options. For those asking "When was Binance founded?" or "When did the Binance app launch?", the key dates to remember are July 2017 for the company's founding and late 2017 for the initial app release. These milestones mark the beginning of Binance's journey to becoming the most traded cryptocurrency exchange by volume worldwide.