Trump Pardons Changpeng Zhao Former Binance CEO
In one of the most controversial decisions of his presidency although I am not really sure this is one of them as Donald Trump has had quite the few and does do things differently. However, he has officially pardoned Changpeng “CZ” Zhao the billionaire founder of Binance.
Despite the issues it has experienced in the past it still holds the world’s largest cryptocurrency Centralized Exchange (CEX). The move has stirred up quite the debate over the future of crypto regulation and the widening gap between legitimate innovation and rising financial crime. Given that’s what the former CEO was charged with by the Department of Justice
Zhao who served a four month prison sentence for enabling money laundering at Binance is now free to resume leadership at the company thanks to Trump’s presidential pardon signed on Wednesday. It caught many off guard and it is being raised the Trump is ending the “Biden War On Crypto”.
Biden's War On Crypto Comes To An End
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the pardon was intended to reverse the previous administration’s enforcement heavy stance. “President Trump exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency,” Leavitt said. “These actions severely damaged the United States’ reputation as a global leader in innovation. The war on crypto is over.”
Trump’s pardon has been widely accepted as a move to strengthen his alliance with the crypto sector who played a notable role in his 2024 re election campaign and donating cryptocurrency to his re election bid exceeding USD 7.4 Million. His family’s business ties to blockchain ventures are well known and he has been quite successful with World Liberty Financial an organisation linked to the Trump family, reportedly raising over USD4 billion through digital asset projects.
CZ's Response and Commitment to the U.S
The pardon comes less than a year after Binance and Zhao agreed to pay over USD4 billion in fines to U.S. authorities following an investigation into money laundering and compliance failures. Prosecutors had accused Binance of allowing funds to flow to “terrorists, cybercriminals and child abusers,” according to then Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Zhao, a Canadian citizen born in China was the first person ever sentenced to prison for violating the Bank Secrecy Act, a law requiring financial institutions to monitor and report suspicious activity. Despite the gravity of the offenses, many in the crypto world see Zhao as a scapegoat for broader tensions between regulators and the digital asset industry.
With Trump’s pardon effectively clearing his record, Zhao could regain full control of Binance and oversee its reentry into U.S. markets. The company remains a global powerhouse processing more than USD217 billion in daily volume..
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