No Political Pressure, No Fake Agents

Crypto founders are being warned that a Binance listing cannot be bought, brokered, or politically pressured, even by a head of state.

Binance CZ rejects President’s token listing request

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) has revealed he once personally turned down a private appeal from a country’s president, who requested that a specific token be listed on the exchange.

According to CZ, this episode proves that no individual, regardless of political rank, can bypass Binance‘s internal due diligence.

Moreover, CZ framed the incident as a clear signal to the industry. He urged project teams to treat any supposed “guaranteed listing” as an immediate red flag, stressing that if a head of state has no influence over listings, then third-party brokers claiming insider power are almost certainly running scams.

‘No shortcuts’ and zero tolerance for listing scams

This strict stance has become known internally as a “no shortcuts” policy. CZ stated that crypto founders should assume that anyone promising special access to Binance‘s listing team is misrepresenting their role. However, he also noted that confusion around how listings work has allowed fraudsters to thrive.

The exchange said that, as the market has grown, an entire cottage industry of impersonators has emerged. These actors frequently pose as Binance insiders, advisors, or consultants and attempt to extract large fees from teams that are desperate to list their tokens quickly.

In response, Binance has adopted a strict zero-tolerance approach. Any project discovered to be using a supposed listing agent or other intermediary will be immediately disqualified from consideration. Moreover, this applies regardless of the project’s size, backers, or market potential.

How to get listed on Binance legitimately

To counter misinformation, Binance has laid out a clear, multi-stage pathway for how to get listed in a legitimate way. Early-stage token projects usually enter the ecosystem through Binance Alpha, a program focused on discovery, research, and targeted community building.

Through this channel, Binance can observe a project’s user traction, product progress, and real community interest before opening broader access. That said, participation in this early program does not provide any guarantee of a future spot market launch or new listing binance event.

As a project matures, the exchange may introduce futures contracts or spot market trading in stages. Futures products give traders tools for hedging and directional strategies without holding the underlying tokens directly.

However, spot listings provide direct token ownership and enable long-term participation in a network’s growth.

Each step in this funnel reflects the project’s readiness and proven market demand. Moreover, Binance makes clear that there are no automatic promotions; teams must demonstrate consistent progress, transparency, and robust user metrics to advance.

Key evaluation criteria for token listings

When reviewing potential listings, Binance examines several core dimensions. These include the quality of the underlying product, pace of user growth, tokenomics and supply design, compliance posture, and overall technical security.

Crypto listing requirements also cover governance structures and the transparency of project communication.

Additionally, circulating tokens face detailed checks on liquidity depth, valuation levels, and fairness of distribution across the community and early backers. However, even strong metrics do not entitle a project to guaranteed approval, as the exchange retains discretion to delay or reject tokens that do not meet its evolving standards.

According to the company, the binance listing framework is strictly merit-based and not for sale. The exchange emphasizes that there are no shortcuts, fixed timelines, or paid fast-track options available to founders.

Zero tolerance for intermediaries and fake agents

Binance has also moved to address the rising number of fake listing agents in the market. The exchange stresses that it never appoints intermediaries, does not recognize external brokers, and will not accept listing applications filed through consultants or unverified representatives.

All official listing conversations must involve verified core team members only, who are required to complete mandatory identity checks. Moreover, founders are instructed to use official channels and email domains to contact the exchange, ensuring that communication is authentic and trackable.

Significantly, Binance has reiterated that it will disqualify any project that relies on intermediaries or pays supposed “advisors” to secure a listing. However, teams that proactively report scammers or impersonators operating under the exchange’s name may receive priority review as a reward for helping protect the ecosystem.

In summary, CZ’s disclosure about rejecting a President’s request underscores a simple message: listing decisions at Binance are merit-driven, structured through its Alpha and trading funnels, and strictly off-limits to political pressure or paid middlemen.