Net worth
$114.6B
Forbes Real-Time · as of Sep 24, 2026
Latest moves
No moves from Changpeng Zhao in the digest yet. The archive grows every morning.
Recent SEC filings
SEC filings · last 90 days
Exercised 7.6M BNC
Form 4 insider trades post within 2 business days. 13F fund holdings can arrive 45 days after quarter end. New to filings? Read Filings 101.
Footprint
Companies
Binance (Binance Holdings Ltd.)Co-founder · Estimated ~90% (Forbes estimate) · as of Sep 2026
source ↗More
- Role
- Co-founder (2017); former CEO (resigned Nov 2023 under US plea); Richard Teng CEO, Yi He named co-CEO Dec 2025
- Stake
- Estimated ~90% (Forbes estimate)
- Stake as of
- 2026-09-24
YZILabs Management Ltd. (YZi Labs; formerly Binance Labs)Sole director
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- Role
- Sole director (per SEC 13D); investment vehicle for Web3, AI and biotech
BNB token / BNB Chain ecosystemBNB · Launched BNB with Binance in 2017
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- Ticker
- BNB
- Role
- Launched BNB with Binance in 2017; Forbes says he holds significant BNB
Stakes
CEA Industries Inc. (BNB treasury company)BNC · 19.99% · as of Sep 2026 · $6.26 ▲ 2.46%
source ↗More
- Ticker
- BNC
- Stake
- 19.99% (9,749,745 shares) after warrant exercise; Zhao and YZi Labs filed Form 3 as 10% owners/directors
- Stake as of
- 2026-09-17
Binance minority investor: Abu Dhabi's MGX invested $2B (Mar 2025), diluting founder stakeMinority (MGX) · as of Mar 2025
source ↗Investment vehicles
YZILabs Management Ltd. (British Virgin Islands)fund · CIK 0002098271
source ↗More
- Type
- fund
- Notes
- Formerly Binance Labs; Zhao is sole director. Files 13D/Forms 3-4 and DFAN14A proxy materials (CEA Industries); no 13F-HR seen.
Private deals
YZi Labs exercised 7.6M pre-funded warrants in CEA Industries and raised ownership caps (CEA waived the 61-day…Sep 2026
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- In full
- YZi Labs exercised 7.6M pre-funded warrants in CEA Industries and raised ownership caps (CEA waived the 61-day notice); stake 19.99%
- Date
- 2026-09-17
YZi Labs settled its consent solicitation at CEA Industries: cooperation agreement adds three YZi nominees to a…Jun 2026
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- In full
- YZi Labs settled its consent solicitation at CEA Industries: cooperation agreement adds three YZi nominees to a six-member board, Alex Odagiu interim president, CEO search committee
- Date
- 2026-06-23
Abu Dhabi's MGX made a $2 billion minority investment in BinanceMar 2025
source ↗Binance began offering trading in US stocks and ETFsJun 2026
source ↗Legal & regulatory
Nov 21, 2023 US resolution: Binance pleaded guilty (BSA/sanctions) and paid >$4.3B; Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to…
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- In full
- Nov 21, 2023 US resolution: Binance pleaded guilty (BSA/sanctions) and paid >$4.3B; Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective AML program, paid $50M criminal fine and resigned as CEO; served four months (released Sept 27, 2024)
CFTC settlement (Nov 21, 2023): Binance $1.35B disgorgement + $1.35B civil penalty; Zhao $150M civil monetary penalty
source ↗Treasury settlements (Nov 21, 2023): FinCEN $3.4B and OFAC $968M; Treasury-assigned compliance monitor for five years
source ↗President Trump granted Zhao a full and unconditional pardon
source ↗Lawsuit by families of Oct 7 attack victims alleging Binance facilitated transfers to Hamas/Hezbollah (Nov 2025)
source ↗DOJ probe into Iran's alleged use of Binance to evade sanctions (reported Mar 2026); Sept 2026 report of prosecutors…
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- In full
- DOJ probe into Iran's alleged use of Binance to evade sanctions (reported Mar 2026); Sept 2026 report of prosecutors alleging laundering of Iranian oil proceeds
Binance blocked from a foothold in the EU (WSJ, May 2026)
source ↗Reuters: Binance gave Moscow client details used to charge a Russian over Ukraine donations (Aug 2026)
source ↗Government advisory roles: strategic adviser to Pakistan Crypto Council; adviser on digital assets to Kyrgyzstan's…
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- In full
- Government advisory roles: strategic adviser to Pakistan Crypto Council; adviser on digital assets to Kyrgyzstan's president (May 2025)
Giving
Giggle Academy (free children's education platform founded by Zhao; memoir royalties pledged)
source ↗Research gaps: Session WebSearch budget exhausted; Reuters, WSJ, NYT and CNBC items are cited via reference URLs listed in Wikipedia (Binance / Changpeng Zhao articles) and could not be fetched directly (403/blocked) - verify before publishing. DOJ press release page returned empty; plea facts sourced from Wikipedia plus CFTC/Treasury primary releases. No SEC person CIK for Zhao found (EDGAR name search returned nothing; he appears only as a co-reporting person under YZILabs CIK 0002098271). Exact Binance stake is a Forbes estimate; BNB holdings unquantified. No reputable real-estate, aircraft or US foundation (EIN) records verified. Status of the Treasury monitorship post-pardon unverified. UK class action (June 2026) and FINTRAC fine omitted for lack of a fetched source.
Prices via Finnhub · as of Sep 24, 2026 4:00 PM ET. For information only.
What to watch
CEA Industries (BNC): appointment of new CEO (target Aug 31, 2026 or annual meeting), mutually agreed independent…Sep 21, 2026
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- In full
- CEA Industries (BNC): appointment of new CEO (target Aug 31, 2026 or annual meeting), mutually agreed independent director due ~90 days after June 23, 2026, and 2026 annual meeting
- When
- 2026-09-21
Further YZi Labs buying/warrant exercises in CEA Industries above 19.99% (remaining 2.33M pre-funded warrants, stapled…
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- In full
- Further YZi Labs buying/warrant exercises in CEA Industries above 19.99% (remaining 2.33M pre-funded warrants, stapled and advisor warrants)
DOJ Iran-sanctions investigation of Binance and IRGC laundering allegations (NYT, Sept 15, 2026)
source ↗Binance compliance monitorship (5-year Treasury monitor from Nov 2023) - any changes after the pardon
source ↗Binance's EU market access after regulatory block
source ↗