A federal US judge instructed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Crypto giant Binance to agree to allow the company to maintain essential operations while defending itself against the securities law violation charges.

The SEC had sued Binance, two of its subsidiaries, and its CEO Changpeng Zhao over 13 alleged charges, including mishandling funds and lying to regulators. On Tuesday, the agency argued in court that the asset freeze was required to safeguard Binance’s $2.2 billion in US customer funds.

Binance.According to the US, the firm would receive a “death sentence” if its assets were frozen. It would stop the business from paying its suppliers, employees, and vendors, making its operations “quickly grind to a halt.”

Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the US District Court for the District of Columbia denied the SEC’s request. She commanded the parties to continue their discussions and provide a status report by Thursday.

Another cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, has also been accused by the SEC of operating its platform for trading crypto assets as an unlicensed national securities exchange, broker, and clearing agency.