CZ Pushes for U.S. Crypto Dominance After Presidential Pardon

After receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in October 2025, Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, the founder of Binance, is making a comeback in the U.S. public arena. He stepped down as CEO of Binance in November 2023 following his guilty plea for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, which led to a four-month prison sentence from April to September 2024. CZ's vision is to transform the U.S. into the "capital of crypto," pushing for Binance.US to utilize Binance Global's order book to lower trading costs. He continues to hold the largest share in Binance and is a board member of Binance.US. As of April 2026, he ranks as the 17th richest individual globally, boasting a net worth of $111.1 billion, despite facing trust issues after his pardon.