Trump Issues Presidential Pardon to Binance Founder, Changpeng Zhao
The White House has announced that President Donald Trump has granted a presidential pardon to Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, founder of global cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Zhao had earlier pleaded guilty to offences linked to failures in anti‑money‑laundering compliance, which U.S. prosecutors argued enabled illicit financial flows through the platform.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the pardon was issued pursuant to the President’s constitutional authority. Zhao’s conviction arose from a high‑profile prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice, which alleged that Binance failed to implement adequate anti‑money‑laundering controls.
The case had become a focal point in the ongoing debate over the regulation of digital assets in the United States, raising questions about the balance between innovation in financial technology and the enforcement of financial crime safeguards.
The pardon is viewed as a significant development in the evolving U.S. policy landscape on cryptocurrency, with President Trump positioning himself as supportive of the digital asset industry and critical of what he has described as overly restrictive regulatory approaches.
As at the time of the announcement, neither Binance nor Zhao had issued an official response.
