Kaspa Founder Yonatan Sompolinsky Rejects Binance Award

9th November 2025 – Yonatan Sompolinsky, founder of Kaspa ($KAS) and pioneer of the GHOST protocol just lit a fire under the crypto establishment by rejecting Binance Blockchain 100 award.

On November 6, Sompolinsky publicly rejected Binance’s Blockchain 100 Award, turning down an invitation to its high-profile Dubai gala. But it wasn’t just a polite decline – it was a scathing critique of the exchange’s role in what he calls the industry’s drift from “cypherpunk” to “casino crypto.”

“Let Them Win or Count Me Out”

Sompolinsky won in the “Independent Researcher” category of Binance’s annual awards. He was scheduled to attend a December 3 gala alongside names like Michael Saylor and CZ Binance.

Instead, he took to X with a blistering statement addressed directly to @binance.

He thanked the platform for the recognition, but said the support came largely from “avid kaspians” — supporters of Kaspa, not just his research. “Let them win or count me out,” he wrote.

Then came the real message.

A Manifesto, Not a Rant

Sompolinsky called out Binance for listing meme coins like PEPE within weeks of launch, while ignoring Kaspa, a fair-launched, pure PoW Layer-1 blockchain with no premine, no ICO, and 100ms block times. Kaspa has hit top-20 market cap status and yet remains unlisted on Binance.

He framed this as not just a missed listing, but a market distortion. According to him, Binance isn’t just reacting to demand. It’s molding the market, pushing hype over substance.

He cited @0xMert’s crypto taxonomy – commercial, casino, and cypherpunk and called on Binance to create a “privilege policy” for cypherpunk projects. These are typically fair-launch protocols that can’t pay the rumored $40M+ listing fees.

“Listing fees are legit,” he wrote. “They’re just unfit for cypherpunk.”

Kaspa as the Anti-Casino

In Sompolinsky’s view, Kaspa is Bitcoin’s spiritual successor – faster, leaner, fairer. It was built with no dev fund, no VC dominance, and minimal early mining. He described it as a “sovereign money thesis” with real technical breakthroughs like GHOSTDAG and 10 blocks per second.

Sampolinsky argued that exchanges should support these projects, especially after crashes like the October USDe glitch, where centralized platforms played a role. He told Binance: “You’re not a read-only entity. You help define what’s strong.”

Sompolinsky also reminded readers that Binance’s listing decisions shape perception, not just reflect it.

Immediate Impact: Price Surge, Viral Reach

The community responded fast. Within hours, the post had:

• Over 2 million views
• 7,600+ likes
• 3,700+ reposts

$KAS price surged nearly 19%, jumping from ~$0.12 to ~$0.143, even as Bitcoin dipped 2%. Users praised the move as a “thunderbolt,” a “manifesto,” and a rare act of integrity.

Videos like “Kaspa Founder ROASTS Binance” trended on YouTube. Reddit’s r/kaspa exploded with praise, and translations of the post appeared in German, Dutch, and Turkish.

A Shot Across the Bow

This wasn’t just a rejection. It was a challenge to crypto’s biggest exchange to re-examine its priorities, and its influence.

No response from Binance yet. But with $KAS gaining traction and Sompolinsky’s post gaining global reach, this moment may push the “cypherpunk vs casino” debate into the spotlight again.

Whether or not Binance lists Kaspa, one thing is clear: the soul of crypto is still being fought over.

The Talk

Real voices. Real reactions.

KOLsMediaCommunity

LOW

@hashdag @binance Spot on.

"@binance, Thanks for including me in the top 100 blockchain people list, appreciate the signal! I must decline the Dubai invite though. I do not wish to disrespect, but many of the award voters are avid kaspians who rooted for my kaspa status at least as much as for my https://t.co/pQZZCAeZ7X https://t.co/XYXcOSIe41"— @

RVCrypto

@RvCrypto

3 days ago

LOW

@hashdag @binance Daymn when you actually read this Fxcking hell this worse than an 8 mile rap battle Over 500k views and no kols no cexs no institutions no aster fan boys no BnB account And no @cz_binance @0xMert_ response yet

"@binance, Thanks for including me in the top 100 blockchain people list, appreciate the signal! I must decline the Dubai invite though. I do not wish to disrespect, but many of the award voters are avid kaspians who rooted for my kaspa status at least as much as for my https://t.co/pQZZCAeZ7X https://t.co/XYXcOSIe41"— @

Habibi ❎ (💰//acc)

@habibivc

2 days ago

LOW

@hashdag @binance Your move @cz_binance @binance In the meantime, this your chance @brian_armstrong @coinbase to take MASSIVE market share from your competitors. List #Kaspa. Notice the engagement on this post. You're leaving SOOOO much money on the table.

"@binance, Thanks for including me in the top 100 blockchain people list, appreciate the signal! I must decline the Dubai invite though. I do not wish to disrespect, but many of the award voters are avid kaspians who rooted for my kaspa status at least as much as for my https://t.co/pQZZCAeZ7X https://t.co/XYXcOSIe41"— @

Vijay 𐤊ailash, CFA, CFP®

@realvijayk

3 days ago

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