Changpeng Zhao

Changpeng Zhao, often known as CZ, is a Chinese-Canadian entrepreneur who co-founded Binance, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume. He was born in 1977 in Jiangsu, China, and later relocated to Canada with his family. CZ studied computer science at McGill University in Montreal.

 

In the early stage of his career, he worked in financial trading technology. He built trading systems for major platforms such as Bloomberg and the Tokyo Stock Exchange, gaining strong experience in high-speed trading infrastructure.

 

Quick Facts:

 

Field	Details
Full Name	Changpeng Zhao
Popular Name	CZ
Birth	1977, Jiangsu, China
Nationality	Chinese-Canadian
Education	Computer Science, McGill University
Known For	Co-founder of Binance
Industry	Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Fintech

 

Career Overview:

 

CZ joined the cryptocurrency sector in 2013. During his early years, he worked for Bitcoin websites like Blockchain.com and OKCoin. In 2017, he co-founded Binance. The exchange debuted in July of that year and rapidly became the top cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Binance has grown far beyond traditional cryptocurrency trading over the years. The platform currently offers derivatives trading, staking services, and its own blockchain network called BNB Chain.

Timeline of Events: 

 

• 2010 - Worked in financial trading technology, gaining experience in high-frequency trading systems.
• 2015 - Founded BijieTech, a company focused on crypto-mining software.
• 2017 - Co-founded Binance and launched the exchange in July.
• 2021 - Binance expanded globally but withdrew its exchange application in Singapore due to regulatory challenges.
• 2022 - Binance invested $500 million in Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
• 2023 - Binance faced growing regulatory scrutiny across multiple regions.
• 2024 - Appointed strategic advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council by the Ministry of Finance.
• 2025 - Became an advisor to Sadyr Japarov on digital-asset development in Kyrgyzstan.

 

Notable Work & Achievements of Changpeng Zhao:

 

Year	Achievement	Details
2018	Forbes Crypto Rich List	Listed among the richest people in crypto with an estimated net worth of around $1–2 billion
2019	Binance.US Launch	Binance expanded to the U.S. with a separate regulated platform
2022	Twitter Acquisition Investment	Binance participated in financing Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter
2024	Pakistan Crypto Council Advisor	Helped guide national discussions on crypto regulation
2025	Kyrgyzstan Digital Asset Advisor	Advised the Kyrgyz government on blockchain and digital-asset development