Donald Trump Grants Pardon to Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao
US President Donald Trump has reportedly pardoned Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, amid controversies surrounding cryptocurrency regulations.
According to multiple reports, US President Donald Trump has granted a pardon to Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance.
Reuters reports:
In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had “exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency.”
CZ stepped down as CEO of Binance following a $4.3 billion settlement with the US government, concluding a long investigation into alleged misconduct by the exchange.
Following the pardon, the exchange’s native token saw a quick price rise. BNB traded at $1,075 before news broke, rising by 7.5% to over $1,150 before stabilizing around $1,130.
In addition to losing his CEO role, CZ was required to pay a $50 million fine and serve four months in US prison. He was released in September of the previous year but was barred from officially resuming his leadership role.
UPDATE: After the news broke, Zhao expressed his gratitude on X:
Deeply grateful for today’s pardon and to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice. 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Will do everything we can to help make America the Capital of Crypto and advance web3 worldwide.
(Still in flight, more posts to come.)…
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 23, 2025
