Binance’s Zhao Reflects on Prison Sentence, Pardon Process, and Crypto Industry Shifts
Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance (BNB), spoke candidly at Davos about his four-month prison term for Bank Secrecy Act violations. The interview marked his first public remarks since receiving a controversial pardon linked to former U.S. President Trump’s clemency actions.
Zhao described the psychological toll of incarceration—strip searches, abrupt confinement changes—while contrasting his experience with typical white-collar outcomes. 'Previous BSA cases resulted in home detention or deferred prosecution,' he noted, calling his sentence an outlier.
The crypto mogul acknowledged the Department of Justice settlement requiring his resignation as Binance CEO. His remarks coincided with Bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH) price volatility amid broader institutional adoption trends.