Blum Co-Founder and Ex-Binance Exec Vladimir Smerkis Arrested for Alleged Large-Scale Fraud
From Binance to Blum, the crypto exec’s journey now faces a major reckoning as Russian prosecutors probe past ventures tied to $15M in alleged investor losses.
Vladimir Smerkis, former regional director for Binance in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and co-founder of the Telegram-based crypto game Blum, has been arrested in Russia on allegations of extensive fraud.
The Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow authorized prosecutors to demand that Smerkis be held under continuous investigation on May 18, 2025.

Crypto every day of the week, every week of the month, and every month of the year. 