The US government says the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has agreed to pay more than 4 billion dollars in penalties for US anti-money laundering and sanctions laws violations.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made the announcement at a news conference on Tuesday.

They said Binance did not take measures to prevent transactions associated with the Islamic group Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades and terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda.

They also said the exchange allowed transactions that violated US sanctions, such as proceedings between users in Iran and North Korea and those in the United States.

They said these and other activities constitute money laundering.

The US government said Binance has admitted to the violations and agreed to pay a total of 4.368 billion dollars.

Yellen said the announcement sends a message to the virtual currency industry.

She said it shows that the “Treasury is prepared to use all of its tools to carry out its crucial mandate of combatting illicit finance and protecting the US financial system.”