CryptoJob
InsightsBlog
Start for Free
Back to Insights

Changpeng Zhao

He founded Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange and is no longer allowed to run it. He was banned from management in 2023, pardoned in 2025 and still owns more BNB than anyone.

01
Work History
Every job he has had, starting with the most recent
Binance · YZi Labs · Giggle Academy
2017 - now
Founder, and CEO until 2023
Binance · BNB Chain
PASSIVE⌄
2024 - now
Founder
Giggle Academy
ACTIVE⌄
2018 - now
Founder
YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs)
ACTIVE⌄
2014 - 2015
Chief Technology Officer
OKCoin
PAST⌄
2013 - 2014
Head of Development
Blockchain.info
PAST⌄
2005 - 2013
Founder
Fusion Systems
PAST⌄
2001 - 2005
Head of futures trading tech
Bloomberg
PAST⌄
1996 - 2001
Software developer, trade matching
Tokyo Stock Exchange
PAST⌄
1993 - 1996
Computer Science
McGill University, Montréal
EDU⌄
02
AUG
BNB holds steady while bitcoin drops another 4%
MARKETThe Block●○○ LOW
▲ +$412M +0.71%
01
AUG
His fund puts $40M into a robotics startup
BUSINESSBloomberg●●○ MED
no change
31
JUL
His free school app passes one million children
PERSONALGiggle Academy●○○ LOW
no change
30
JUL
Binance is hiring for 34 jobs, its biggest month since 2023
BUSINESSCryptoJob Index●●○ MED
no change
28
JUL
Binance.US delays its US relaunch to later this year
REGULATORYReuters●●○ MED
▼ −$180M −0.31%
26
JUL
He says money moving into AI is why crypto prices are down
MARKETCNBC●○○ LOW
no change
24
JUL
A third country asks him to advise on crypto rules
REGULATORYNikkei●○○ LOW
no change
21
JUL
His fund makes its first biotech investment outside Asia
BUSINESSTechCrunch●○○ LOW
no change
2017BUILT
Became the world’s biggest exchange in six months

Binance launched in July 2017, funded by a $15M token sale. By the end of the year it was trading more than anyone else.

2019BUILT
Paid back a $40M hack overnight

Hackers took 7,000 bitcoin. He covered every customer from a reserve fund the same night and reopened within a week. Other exchanges copied the approach.

2020BUILT
Built BNB Chain in eight weeks

A cheaper, faster copy of Ethereum, built quickly to catch a boom. People called it unoriginal. It immediately became the most used chain in the world.

2022BUILT
One post helped bring down FTX

He announced he was selling his FTX tokens, then looked at buying the company and walked away after four hours. FTX collapsed days later.

2023LEGAL
Pleaded guilty and lost his job

He admitted Binance did not do enough to stop money laundering. He paid a $50M personal fine, Binance paid $4.3B, and he was banned from running the company again.

2024LEGAL
Four months in prison

He served four months in a US prison in California. He came out richer than he went in.

2025PUBLIC
Pardoned

A presidential pardon in October wiped the conviction. He said it lifted a weight off him, but confirmed he is not going back to running Binance.

2026PUBLIC
One million children signed up

His free education app passed a million registered learners in July 2026.

$57.8B▼ −$7.40B −11.35% 1Y
Highest
$96.9B
Lowest
$55.2B
All-time high · $96.9B
Cycle low · $55.2B
$102B
$89B
$76B
$63B
Aug 25OctDecFeb 26AprJunAug
Where the money is
Two thirds of it is his Binance stake
Share of Binance$38.4B
about 90% of Binance
BNB$14.9B
across 4 wallets
Bitcoin$5.0B
across 2 wallets
Startup investments$1.8B
about 260 startup investments
Cash and other$600M
reported, not confirmed

I haven’t really needed to go back. I didn’t really want to.

Funds are SAFU.