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Public reception of Changpeng Zhao

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This page records views published about Changpeng Zhao without ruling for any side. Each view is attributed to who said it, where, and when.

Supportive views

  • White House (October 2025). Said Zhao was prosecuted by the Biden administration in its "war on crypto", in a case with no allegation of fraud and no identifiable victims. [1]
  • Changpeng Zhao (June 2026). Told CoinDesk: "…the violation of the BSA, which I do not dispute, but there's no fraud." [2]
  • Giggle Academy (October 2026). Announced 2 million learners in 193 countries and regions. [3] See Giggle Academy.

Critical views

  • U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland (2023-11-21). Said Binance became the world's largest crypto exchange in part because of the crimes it committed; Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Binance's wilful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals and child abusers. [4]
  • House Democrats (October 2025). Twenty-seven members including Sean Casten condemned the pardon. [5] See Pardon of Changpeng Zhao.
  • Forbes (April 2026). Described Freedom of Money as a "whitewashed account" of Binance's rise. [6]
  • Protos. Reviewed the book's "principles" as "totally unhinged". [7]

Open questions under discussion

  • The pardon and political connections: lobbying, and reports on dealings between Binance and the Trump family-linked World Liberty Financial and USD1. [8][9] [verification needed]
  • Binance's compliance after 2023 and 2026 media reports about Iran sanctions. [9] [verification needed]
  • How Zhao's habit of dismissing "FUD" on social media relates to the 2023 case. [10] [verification needed]

References

Select a title to open the original page. Dates and verification notes are kept as found.

  1. ↑ Trump pardons founder of Binance, world's largest crypto exchange
    The Guardian · 2025-10-23 · media report; not marked as a primary source
  2. ↑ Post-prison CZ says time behind bars didn't hurt the billionaire's business after Binance
    CoinDesk (interview) · 2026-06-25 · media report; not marked as a primary source
  3. ↑ Giggle Academy Reaches 2 Million Learners
    Giggle Academy official blog · 2026-10-09 · official
  4. ↑ Binance and CEO Plead Guilty to Federal Charges in $4B Resolution
    U.S. Department of Justice (press release) · 2023-11-21 · official primary source
  5. ↑ Casten, 27 House Dems Condemn Pardon of Binance Founder
    Office of U.S. Rep. Sean Casten · date unverified (from a search-result title) · official press release, not verified in full
  6. ↑ Out Of Prison, Crypto's Richest Billionaire Tells (Almost) All In A New Memoir
    Forbes · 2026-04-11 · review / report
  7. ↑ CZ uses new book to share his 'principles' — they're totally unhinged
    Protos · date unverified · critical review
  8. ↑ Changpeng Zhao
    Wikipedia (English) · (accessed 2026-10-27) · secondary compilation; where it cites primary sources we try to go back to them
  9. ab Binance
    Wikipedia (English) · (accessed 2026-10-27) · secondary compilation; some entries relay paywalled reporting and need verification
  10. ↑ Binance's CZ: 'I Made Mistakes', Confirms Richard Teng Will Take Over as CEO
    Decrypt (quotes the full text of CZ’s post that day) · 2023-11-21 · media report; not marked as a primary source