Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao is now worth an estimated $110 billion, putting him at #17 on the global rich list and ahead of Bill Gates.

Forbes estimates that CZ added $47 billion over the past year, and the man is now one of just 20 people in the world worth at least $100 billion.

This rise is particularly shocking because literally only a year and a half ago, CZ was getting out of jail after the Binance case.

The founder of the exchange, launched in 2017, pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.

He agreed to pay a $50 million fine, leave the CEO role, and serve four months in a California prison. Binance paid $4.3 billion on top of that.

Binance keeps lifting CZ as revenue and market share stay huge

CZ’s estimated 1,400 Bitcoins fell about 25% in value over the past 12 months and are now worth around $100 million. His stash of BNB, believed to represent most of the token’s circulating supply, stayed about the same.

The real source of CZ’s fortune is still Binance, even after he stepped down in 2023.

The company is privately held and based in the United Arab Emirates, where CZ, a Canadian citizen, lives. It does not publish detailed financial statements or a clear ownership map.

Still, talks with industry insiders and comparisons with Coinbase suggest Binance is worth about $100 billion. Legal filings also indicate that CZ owns about 90% of the business. Binance still holds roughly 38% of the global crypto exchange market.

Artemis reports that:- “Binance generated an estimated $16-$17 billion in revenue in 2024 and 2025, that is roughly two-and-a-half times Coinbase’s $6.6 billion.”

According to them, the world’s largest crypto exchange processes more than $30 trillion in yearly volume across spot and derivatives markets, while also running a wider business tied to BNB Chain with a market capitalization of $88 billion.

Binance also does token giveaways and incentive programs. “Forbes figures the exchange would likely sell for twelve figures, should CZ ever decide to offload it, even after applying a generous discount because it operates largely outside of U.S. regulations, unlike Nasdaq-listed Coinbase,” said Forbes.

Trump brings CZ back into U.S. business circles as scrutiny stays in place

Last March, Binance agreed to accept Trump-backed World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin as payment for a $2 billion investment in the company by MGX, an Abu Dhabi investment firm. That deal gave World Liberty a major boost.

Then, in October, Trump granted CZ a full pardon for his crimes. Forbes said, “No wonder Zhao showed up at a Mar-a-Lago forum hosted by World Liberty last month, thus re-entering America’s business circles.”

Questions about compliance have not gone away. Recent reports from Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times said Binance fired top investigators after they flagged $1 billion moving to sanctioned Iran entities.

Binance disputed the claims and defended its compliance program. Even with that pressure, CZ remains the richest person in crypto, ahead of Michael Bloomberg at $109 billion, Jeff Yass at $67.4 billion, and Ken Griffin at $49.8 billion.

Bill is now worth an estimated $108 billion after large charitable gifts and his 2021 divorce from Melinda French Gates, leaving him at No. 19, two spots and $2 billion behind CZ.

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