Cristiano Ronaldo sued by Binance users for 'promoting unregistered securities'
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Cristiano Ronaldo sued by Binance users || Credit: Imago

Cristiano Ronaldo sued by Binance users for 'promoting unregistered securities'

Stephen Oladehinde 18:44 - 29.11.2023

Customers of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance have filed a class-action lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January and has lit up the club and the league with his presence.

Following the Financial Conduct Authority's designation of the company as a "significant risk" to consumers, the Al-Nassr star inked a sponsorship agreement with the exchange in June 2022. 

Subsequently, the exchange launched a range of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) under a sponsorship initiative. 

Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Al-Nassr, (Photo Credit: X/Al-Nassr)
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Al-Nassr, (Photo Credit: X/Al-Nassr)

Ronaldo’s law suit

According to reports from Daily Mail, Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused by users of using his relationship with Binance to influence their decision to join the exchange. 

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is accused of having "promoted, assisted in, and/or actively participated in the offer and sale of unregistered securities in coordination with Binance" in the case.

In addition, the complaint claims that consumers were more likely to engage in Binance's crypto yield programme and the purported unregistered securities after initially using the platform to secure the forward's NFTs.

The plaintiffs contended that the popularity of Ronaldo, along with his reach of 110.3 million X (formerly Twitter) followers and an additional 613 million Instagram followers, contributed to the growth of Binance's user base. 

They further asserted that searches for the company saw a 500% increase in interest in the week following the initial sale of Ronaldo's NFTs. 

Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr || (Photo Credit: Imago)
Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr || (Photo Credit: Imago)

The lawsuit further states that Ronaldo had knowledge of the volatility of unregistered crypto securities because of his "investment experience and vast resources to obtain outside advisors."

It continued by saying that he should have disclosed any payments he received for promoting cryptocurrencies in accordance with US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidelines.