During the 2025 edition of the Paris Blockchain Week, BeInCrypto sat down with David Prinçay, the President of Binance France.

Prinçay discussed the exchange’s growth and market strategy in France, its focus on education, and the launch of its new product – Binance Wealth. 

Binance Reached 265 Million Global Users By Q1 2025

First, globally, our momentum has been very good. We closed 2024 with over 250 million registered users at the end of 2024. 

Three months later, at the end of March 2025, we have already surpassed 265 million users. This is a clear sign that the adoption is continuing at a steady pace.

The growth is not only quantitative but also qualitative. From 2024 to now, retail adoption has increased by over 47% among the total registered users. 

Also, institutional adoption is interesting. In 2024, institutional adoption of the platform increased by over 97%. This institutional adoption is more than double the rate of retail adoption. 

The stats also confirm that institutions are entering the space with rapid growth and unprecedented confidence. 

Regarding the trading volume, our average daily trading volume grew by 27% globally. We’ve got bigger engagement and bigger liquidity.

More interestingly, one of the indicators of trust that we are building is the amount of savings inside the platform. Binance’s TVL jumped significantly by 144%. It shows a growing belief in crypto long-term earning and passive income potential. 

On top of that, we became the first centralized crypto exchange to surpass $100  trillion in combined all-time trading volume, thus reaching a significant and historic milestone for the industry. 

Binance France Continues Sustainable Growth

Now, if we zoom more specifically into France, we see that these global trends are reflected locally. 

Binance France has seen a steady and healthy expansion in both retail and institutional base since our PSAN registration, which provides us with a foundation of legitimacy and trust. 

We’ll build on that to localize our global educational effort, as well as a strong regulatory dialogue. 

Over the past year, Binance France has seen steady and healthy growth across all its key metrics – user base, trading volume, and engagement. 

This momentum has been driven by three factors. Our regulatory and compliance infrastructure, a strong commitment to user centricity,education and community, and our investment in local infrastructure and partnerships. 

The French market is particularly engaged and forward-thinking. We are all friends and we live in the avant-garde. We are proud to play a key role in one of Europe’s most important crypto hubs. 

According to the latest crypto adoption report from Chainalysis, France ranks 22nd globally in crypto-adoption.

Overall, France remains a very strategic market for finance in Europe. We’re proud to be contributing to the country and we want to do more.

How Binance is Navigating Crypto Regulation in France and the EU

Regulatory compliance is at the heart of every operation at Binance France. We have a dedicated compliance team, we implemented the rules for KYC-AML and a very robust transaction monitoring protocol. 

We cooperate transparently with the authorities and continue to work closely with the regulator to ensure best practices.

Also, France’s regulatory landscape is not a limitation for us. It’s quite the opposite. We see that a clear framework gives both users and companies the confidence to engage with crypto.

Binance Wealth – The Latest Product from Binance France

We announced Binance Wealth a couple days ago. Binance Wealth is designed to meet Wealth Managers and HNWI clients’ demand for secure, regulated digital asset access. 

This is groundbreaking because we see growing demand from clients and wealth managers—clients are increasingly seeking exposure to crypto, and wealth managers are looking for reliable, accessible ways to meet that demand. 

We’re seeing a strong need among wealth managers for infrastructure that enables them to offer crypto exposure to their clients safely, securely, and with a degree of automation.

This was a clear signal that individuals working with a financial advisor are increasingly interested in crypto assets. 

Still, there are a lot of barriers for the financial advisor to offer this type of investment, regarding the ownership of the wealth or the scale of the project. 

What we developed with Binance Wealth is a secure state, and right now, it’s first platform to offer this type of solution for this type of investment, via a wealth manager. 

It is compliant and tailored to the needs of the wealth management industry. This is not just about offering access to crypto. This is about doing so with a trusted, structured, and professional framework.

Binance’s Partnership with Printemps 

Last year, we found a relevant and strategic partner in Printemps, one of the country’s most iconic and historic department stores, known for its influence in fashion and luxury retail. 

Through Binance Pay and another of our local partners, Lyzi, Printemps became the first department store in Europe to provide access to crypto payments. This is a turning point, not just for Binance France, but for the broader retail sector in Europe. 

It goes far beyond simple payment integration because it demonstrates how traditional retail institutions and Web3 innovations can coexist and create a tangible value for the consumer. 

For us, this is a blueprint for how to bring crypto into the real economy in a meaningful, compliant way. Doing so with one of France’s most prestigious retail brands is particularly symbolic. 

When we integrated Binance Pay, Printemps opened it up to a new generation of digital native crypto clients. This is not just about offering this service to French clients. This is about offering it for all the people who travel to France, want to visit Printemps, and want to pay this way. 

This type of partnership is not only directed at French clients. This is a true medium of exchange. Whether it be fashion, travel, or e-commerce, Binance Play is helping to drive real-world crypto utility in France and globally. 

Binance Pay Saw a 226% Growth in User Base

We’re continuing to expand our network of merchants and lifestyle vendors. We try to make it easier for users to pay with crypto in their daily lives; safely, instantly, and without friction. 

As a result, the Binance Pay active user base grew by 226 % in 2024, topping the impressive 70% increase recorded in 2023. 

You can see that these types of partnerships have a relevant influence on our market. The Binance Pay merchant network has also grown globally to 2,000 merchants. This is a very significant 36 % increase. 

We see a steady but also accelerating growth here. In 2023, it had 8,900 merchants. In 2024, 12,000 new merchants joined Binance Pay.

Crypto Adoption Trends Among French Users

Regarding Binance’s French users, we see a strong adoption from the 25 to 45 years old age group, but we also see a typology of very interesting customers that are 50, 60, or even 70 years old. 

We should not underestimate the curiosity of the older generation. They tend to have a good educational background. 

However, we still see a strong need for financial education. Our core mission at Binance France is to provide our users with the necessary knowledge and education. 

We also see that our users are based in urban centers like Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Toulouse, but we also find a lot of them in more rural areas. It shows that blockchain adoption is not only about big cities; it is everywhere.

French users tend to be very cautious and thoughtful in their investment. They often prioritize education and regulation. This aligns really well with our mission of promoting a responsible adoption.

For us, working on the educational aspect with our customers is very important. It is a cornerstone of our adoption and our marketing initiative. 

We regularly host community meet-ups but also weekly based webinars that you can access via Binance Live, as well as workshops all across the country. We’ve done a Tour de France and we aim to continue on this route. 

Our outreach is not to conquer, but to build trust through transparency, education, and a local presence. We need to show that we are present locally. Binance is an international company, but with a strong local presence and team.

Binance’s Security Measures to Protect Its Users

Globally, we apply industry-leading security practices, real-time monitoring, SAFU fund, and a mandatory 2FA process. 

For Binance France, we’ve implemented additional local compliance and security protocols aligned with the French regulations, with a dedicated support team for French users. 

In addition, we work a lot with community influencers to educate people about security. There is a global concern about the education of the user. 

A lot of people are sometimes reached through their telephone by someone trying to impersonate their bank or their providers, and there are even sometimes cases of violence. We never contact people on their phones. 

On Binance’s application, we display a banner explaining how you can contact us. This is a fact: we will never reach you by phone, we do not create any “investment group” on WhatsApp, and you need to be very careful about security once you invest in the crypto space.

Effective security is collaborative. While Binance takes its responsibility to protect users seriously, education and vigilance are key to falling victim to predatory scams. 

Binance’s platform remains one of the safest in the industry, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to protect users from scams while ensuring that the broader crypto ecosystem remains secure and resilient.

The Risks of Deregulation in the Crypto Industry

When it comes to the EU and when it’s done in consultation with the industry, regulation is not a threat but a catalyst for trust, stability and long-term growth. 

For instance, the launch of Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US, followed by a more favorable and transparent sense towards crypto from the new US administration, led to a great surge in market confidence and in adoption.

We saw institutional players enter the space at scale, and millions of users followed. All of that reinforces how much regularity and clarity can unlock. 

At Binance, we always welcome constructive and pro-innovation regulations. The exchange works closely with regulators across the globe, including in France, to support a safe, responsible evolution of the industry. 

Ultimately, regulation doesn’t slow down crypto and is scalable.

In addition, I like to compare crypto regulations with those of the aircraft industry. The aircraft industry was actually one of the first domains where regulations were applied because of massive accidents that impacted many people. 

The first regulation dates back to 1963, after two planes collided. Regulations protect the customer and guarantee that security elements are implemented at all industry levels.

This is why regulations also evolve with time. They have to do so because they are never completely perfect. They have to always adapt to new usages and prevent future threats inside the industry. 

When the latter moves forward, so does regulation. Again, comparing it to the aircraft industry, the more planes they are going to be, the more security they are going to need.

Binance’s Challenges and Opportunities in the French market

Our biggest challenge, which is also a great opportunity in France and globally, is massive adoption. Despite all the progress we’ve made in recent years, including our strong user growth in 2024, we’re still in the early stage. 

Many people in France have already heard of crypto but don’t fully understand how it works, how to use it, or how it can benefit them.

Increasing the knowledge of our users is important. This is why education is absolutely central to our strategy. 

For market adoption to happen, we need to break down barriers. Not just the technical one, but also the psychological and cultural ones. 

People need to feel confident and not confused about blockchain, crypto, and the industry. This means giving them the right tools, a clear explanation, and a safe regulated platform they can trust.

Inflation’s Consequences on Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s long-term narrative continues to position it as a hedge against inflation, but in the short term, macroeconomic volatility can affect all asset classes. 

For users, diversification is key, both within crypto and across all asset classes. We provide tools like regulated stablecoin, staking products, and educational resources to help them build a resilient portfolio. 

Binance encourages users to invest based on their risk tolerance and their time horizon, which are very important metrics to consider.

Key Strategic Goals

The industry’s evolution is a journey, and we are grateful to be leading the way, Binance, and working on this ecosystem.

It’s an opportunity for everyone, but it’s also a responsibility. When you are the leader, you need to open the path, lead the way while others follow and develop around you. 

That’s why our strategy has three pillars: regulatory compliance, community engagement, and innovation.

What Does the Next Three Years Look Like for Binance France?

In the next three years, we want to deepen our footprint in France to more local areas, to expand our product localization while always meeting the needs of our user base, both current and future. It’s important to be community-centric. 

Binance’s record-breaking user growth indicates a fast-paced shift to our crypto adoption but also reflects our influential role.

It took us nearly five years to reach our first 100 million users and just two more years to add the next 100 million. We have an intensified adoption curve in the cryptocurrency industry. 

Our growth trajectory mirrors that of other tech powerhouses such as X, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. We reinforce the “crossing-the-chasm theory,” which suggests that technology adoption follows a bell-curve pattern over time.

This milestone signals a broader shift from early adopters to the early majority. We are at this stage right now, and the industry’s evolution is quite a journey.

So, we’re grateful to be leading this way and to be one of those companies that create and pave the way.