Binance Crypto Exchange Co-Founder Seeks Trump Pardon

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao confirmed in an interview with Farohk Radio that he has submitted a petition for clemency to US President Donald Trump.

The document was filed in the last two weeks, as reported by the businessman himself. In September 2024, Zhao was released from prison, where he served a sentence on charges of violating anti-money laundering regulations. As part of a pre-trial agreement with the Department of Justice, he paid a fine of $50 million and finally left the post of CEO of the exchange. In March 2025, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported that Zhao was allegedly negotiating with the Trump administration for a pardon in exchange for business ties with the president's family. At that time, the former head of Binance denied this information.

"The WSJ article distorts the facts," he wrote on social media.

However, in the podcast, Zhao acknowledged that it was the publications that prompted the formal application.

Despite being banned for life from managing the exchange, Zhao remains Binance's largest shareholder. Current CEO Richard Teng has confirmed that the former founder has no plans to return to operational activities.

Earlier it was reported that the Binance exchange was stopping operations with cryptocurrencies on the Ethereum network.