Changpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao | |
|---|---|
Zhao in 2022 | |
| Born | 1977 (age 48–49) Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China |
| Other names | CZ |
| Citizenship | Canada United Arab Emirates |
| Alma mater | McGill University (BSc) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Co-founder and former CEO of Binance CTO of OKCoin Co-founder of Blockchain.com |
| Spouse |
Yang Weiqing (m. 2003–2005) |
| Partner | Yi He (2014–present) |
| Children | 5 |
| Changpeng Zhao | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 趙長鵬 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 赵长鹏 | ||||||
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Changpeng Zhao (Chinese: 赵长鹏; pinyin: Zhào Chángpéng; born 1977), commonly known as CZ, is a businessman who is known for co-founding cryptocurrency companies, such as Binance and Blockchain.com. He has also served as CTO of OKCoin and CEO of Binance.
He resigned as the CEO of Binance in November 2023 after the U.S Department of Justice alleged he violated the Bank Secrecy Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four months in prison in April 2024. Zhao completed his sentence by September of the same year. In October 2025, Zhao was given a presidential pardon by President Donald Trump.
According to Forbes, Zhao is the richest Canadian and the 23rd-richest person in the world, with a net worth estimated at $78.8 billion as of February 2026.