Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao in shift for US crypto policy

The decision ends years of hostility between Washington and the industry, signaling what officials called the conclusion of the "war on crypto"

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.

What just happened? Changpeng Zhao's conviction had come to symbolize the tension between technological innovation and financial regulation in the US. His pardon now raises questions about how far the Trump administration plans to loosen oversight of the cryptocurrency sector. However, while the pardon clears Zhao's personal record, Binance continues to face regulatory scrutiny and a market landscape that has shifted dramatically since the legal saga began.

President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, bringing to a close one of the most closely watched legal battles in the cryptocurrency industry. The decision overturns Zhao's 2023 conviction for violating US anti – money-laundering and sanctions laws. It follows months of lobbying by Zhao's team and Binance executives seeking to restore the company's standing in the US.

Zhao, widely known in the industry as CZ, pleaded guilty in November 2023 as part of a sweeping settlement with the Department of Justice that required Binance to pay a $4.3 billion penalty – at the time, the largest ever imposed on a cryptocurrency firm. Federal prosecutors accused the exchange of operating without adequate compliance controls, enabling illicit transactions that facilitated money laundering and the evasion of international sanctions.

Zhao ultimately served four months in federal prison, although the Justice Department had sought a three-year term. His release in September 2024 was followed by a concerted lobbying campaign to secure clemency. The White House announced the pardon this week, describing Zhao as a casualty of what officials called the former Biden administration's aggressive pursuit of the cryptocurrency sector.

"The Biden administration's war on crypto is over," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

// Related Stories

• Self-driving Waymo pulled over for illegal U-turn, officer has no one to ticket
• Amazon says its robots aren't taking human jobs, while unveiling more robots built to take jobs

The pardon also removes the criminal record associated with Zhao's case – a step his former chief strategy officer, Patrick Hillmann, described as "closure" for the entrepreneur. Although Binance has not confirmed whether the decision will accelerate its operational return to the US, the company continues to maintain relationships with US-based crypto ventures and investors.

In January, CEO Richard Teng, Zhao's successor, said the US market was "not a current focus" for Binance, a stance the pardon may now alter.

The Justice Department's 2023 investigation alleged that Binance enabled sanctioned groups and criminal entities to move billions of dollars through its exchange. Regulators argued that the firm's decentralized structure and weak compliance protocols undermined global enforcement efforts.

Under the terms of its settlement, Binance agreed to a three-year monitorship to ensure compliance with US financial laws. Whether the pardon will affect the remainder of that oversight remains unclear, though a parallel Treasury Department review could continue pending formal approval from federal authorities.

Despite the sanctions and ongoing scrutiny, Binance's market position has remained resilient. Its native token, Binance Coin, has surged by nearly 80 percent this year, making it the fourth-largest cryptocurrency behind Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether.