Changpeng Zhao
| Changpeng Zhao | |
| Zhao in 2022 | |
| Changpeng Zhao | |
| Born | September 10, 1977 |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China |
| Occupation | Businessman, technology executive |
| Known for | Co-founder and former CEO of Binance, CTO of OKCoin, Co-founder of Blockchain.com |
| Children | 5 |
Changpeng Zhao (Template:Lang-zh; Template:Pinyin; born September 10, 1977), commonly known as CZ, is a Chinese-born Canadian businessman who co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, the largest such platform in the world by trading volume. Born in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China, Zhao emigrated to Canada as a teenager and later studied computer science at McGill University in Montreal. Before entering the cryptocurrency industry, he built trading systems for financial institutions including the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Bloomberg L.P. Zhao rose to global prominence after launching Binance in 2017, which quickly became the dominant cryptocurrency exchange. He previously served as chief technology officer of OKCoin and co-founded Blockchain.com. In November 2023, Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance after the United States Department of Justice charged him with violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four months in federal prison in April 2024, completing his sentence by September of that year.[1] In October 2025, he received a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump.[1] Zhao's career trajectory—from a teenage immigrant who worked fast-food jobs to one of the wealthiest individuals in the cryptocurrency industry—has made him one of the most recognizable and controversial figures in digital finance.
Early Life
Changpeng Zhao was born in 1977 in Lianyungang, a coastal city in Jiangsu province, China.[2] His father was a university professor who had been politically targeted during the Cultural Revolution in China.[3] The family emigrated from China when Zhao was a teenager, eventually settling in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[3]
During his early years in Canada, Zhao took on a series of working-class jobs to help support his family. He worked overnight shifts at a McDonald's restaurant and also held a position at a gas station.[2] These formative experiences in minimum-wage labor were later frequently cited in media profiles, often juxtaposed against his eventual accumulation of significant wealth in the cryptocurrency industry.[2]
Zhao has described his upbringing in Canada as a period of cultural adjustment and financial modesty. Despite the family's limited means, his father's academic background fostered an environment that valued education and intellectual pursuit. This background would influence Zhao's later decision to pursue technology and finance.
Legal Issues
In November 2023, Zhao pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) programs at Binance. Federal prosecutors established that this failure allowed the exchange to process transactions for criminal enterprises, including terrorist organizations, ransomware operators, and sanctions evaders. As part of his plea agreement, Zhao agreed to step down as Binance's CEO and personally pay a $50 million fine, while Binance itself agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties to various federal regulators. Zhao was sentenced to four months in federal prison in April 2024, which he served at FCI Lompoc II in California, and was pardoned by President Donald Trump in October 2025.
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "US President Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao".BBC News.2025-10-23.https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly1qrl9l1qo.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "How China's 'crypto king' went from McDonald's to billionaire: Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao worked fast food cook".South China Morning Post.https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3197628/how-chinas-crypto-king-went-mcdonalds-billionaire-binance-ceo-changpeng-zhao-worked-fast-food-cook.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 AmblerPamelaPamela"Changpeng Zhao".Forbes.2018-02-07.https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamelaambler/2018/02/07/changpeng-zhao-binance-exchange-crypto-cryptocurrency/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.