Trump Pardons Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao, White House Confirms
U.S. President Donald Trump has officially pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, according to a statement released by the White House on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that President 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.”
The Binance team has not yet issued an official comment regarding the announcement.
Zhao’s Conviction and Return to Binance
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, one of the most influential figures in the cryptocurrency industry, stepped down as CEO of Binance when the company reached a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. government. The agreement resolved a years-long investigation into alleged compliance violations at the world’s largest crypto exchange.
Zhao served a four-month prison sentence following his conviction. With Trump’s pardon, he is now cleared to return to the business he founded in 2017, potentially marking a major turning point for the crypto exchange and the broader digital asset sector.
Part of a Series of White-Collar Pardons
The pardon is part of a broader trend under Trump’s administration, which has seen multiple executive clemencies for corporate and crypto leaders.
Earlier this year, Trump pardoned the founders of BitMEX, another major crypto exchange, in relation to anti–money laundering violations, as well as the founder of Nikola, who was convicted of fraud. He also commuted the sentence of a former executive from Ozy Media, a now-defunct media start-up.
The White House described the decisions as part of Trump’s “commitment to restoring fairness and balance in the justice system.”
