Binance co-founder and former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao is sitting on a personal crypto stash worth more than $75.8 billion, thanks to a fresh rally in Binance’s native token, BNB.
BNB hit a new all-time high of $850.70 on Monday, up over 12% in the past week. The surge pushed CZ’s estimated holdings—64% of the circulating BNB supply—into record territory.
Earlier in February, CZ disclosed his cryptocurrency holdings on Binance Square, revealing that BNB makes up nearly 98.5% of his portfolio. Binance itself holds another 7% of the circulating supply, giving the former CEO and the exchange a combined grip on a major chunk of the asset.
The former exchange chief holds 1.32% of his portfolio in Bitcoin (BTC), followed by small allocations in stablecoins EURI (0.17%) and USDT (0.03%). Zhao also noted an unknown holding of sBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset on the Stacks network, but admitted he had no idea where it came from or how to get rid of it.
His post came in response to an X user request to showcase his trader profile. Initially joking about where to find the feature, Zhao quickly shared the data, sparking discussions on why his Bitcoin allocation was so small.
One of the more puzzling holdings was EURI, a little-known stablecoin. When questioned about it, Zhao speculated it might be tied to an old Binance Card feature but couldn’t recall its origins.
Forbes currently ranks him as the 23rd richest person in the world, putting him ahead of names like Julia Koch, based on his holdings in BNB and his stake in Binance.
Chain Activity Driving Price Surge
Analysts point to rising on-chain activity and tokenomics as the key drivers behind BNB’s recent rally.
The BNB Smart Chain’s “Maxwell” upgrade, which went live on June 30, also added fuel to speculation. The upgrade promises faster block times and smoother validator coordination, which could boost network performance.
BNB’s supply is capped at 200 million coins, but periodic burns by Binance have steadily reduced the number in circulation. The latest burn fed expectations that more are on the way.
Despite stepping back from day-to-day operations at Binance, CZ’s crypto footprint remains enormous and with BNB still climbing, so does his net worth. After serving a four-month prison sentence, Zhao said in May that he was seeking a presidential pardon from Trump. If granted, such a pardon could open the door for him to return to leadership within the crypto sector.
A Wall Street Journal story claimed in May that Zhao acted as a “fixer” for WLF and co-founder Zach Witkoff, helping arrange introductions abroad — including a meeting in Pakistan that led to a memorandum of understanding with a local official.
“I am not a fixer for anyone,” Zhao wrote. He said he met the Pakistani official, Mr. Saqib, for the first time during that trip and had no role in setting up the meeting with WLF. “They had known each other way back,” he added.
