After resigning as CEO of Binance in 2023 and serving a brief prison sentence for violating the Federal Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) in the United States, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao remains one of the most closely watched figures in the crypto industry.
This feature is part of CoinDesk 2025 Most Influential List.
His official exit from the exchange he built did little to lessen his importance. On the contrary, CZ’s influence only became stronger in 2025 after he obtained a pardon from US President Donald Trump.
CZ wrote that he was “deeply grateful” for the pardon and “to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice.”
In a comical turn of events, Trump later claimed he “didn’t know” who Zhao was before adding that he was “a victim of militarization by the government.”
This subtle dig has not dampened Zhao’s prolific use of social media, where he continues to comment on industry trends and the future of global crypto adoption. He even did something slightly unusual, publicly revealing that he held a $1.8 million position in ASTER, the native token of a derivatives exchange hosted on BNB Chain. His word carried weight, with ASTER rising from $0.90 to $1.08 shortly after the tweet.
In 2025, CZ also took a “more active role” in investment activities within YZi Labs, the venture capital arm of Binance which was previously called Binance Labs. Earlier this year, it was reported that YZi Labs managed approximately $10 billion in capital, including investments in more than 250 companies.
