Changpeng Zhao Monument Erected in DC Following Trump Presidential Pardon - Crypto Industry Celebrates
Washington's political landscape gets a crypto makeover as Binance founder Changpeng Zhao becomes immortalized in bronze just blocks from the White House.
The Unlikely Political Redemption
Trump's controversial pardon clears path for cryptocurrency's most prominent figure to literally stand among American political icons. The statue's sudden appearance overnight sparked both celebration and outrage across the capital.
Regulatory Watershed Moment
Federal agencies remain silent as the 12-foot bronze likeness now permanently overlooks K Street lobbyists and regulatory headquarters. Crypto traders immediately pushed BNB to new highs while traditional finance executives scrambled to explain how they missed another digital asset revolution.
Because nothing says 'regulatory clarity' like bypassing the entire political process with a chisel and some molten metal - Wall Street analysts are reportedly studying the statue's base for any hidden blockchain addresses.
A statue of Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao. Photo: CZSTATUE Team
“CZ is iconic,” Zee said, referring to Zhao by his initials. “He’s an OG.”
An anonymous collective, composed of four people, put up around $50,000 to fund the initiative, Zee said. And it took around four weeks for the statue to be created using a CNC printing machine, which milled the statue from dense foam blocks, Zee added. The team has been sharing videos of the statue being polished and transported ahead of its purported public debut.
The initiative is unrelated to other attempts at honoring influential crypto figures in D.C. in recent weeks. In the same spot that the statue of Zhao is expected to be shown outside the U.S. Capitol, a separate group erected a gold statue of Trump clutching a Bitcoin last month.
Building on Binance 👷♂️ @BNBCHAIN @cz_binance pic.twitter.com/RMubAF3tQr
— CZ Golden Statue (@CzStatue) October 26, 2025
There is a meme coin associated with the initiative, which was issued on BNB Chain under the ticker CZSTATUE, a spokesperson for the statue’s creators told Decrypt. It has a market cap of $577,000, as of this writing.
Zee said that the statue was inspired by “fake attacks” against Zhao, as well as a recent increase in the price of BNB, which Binance’s competitors have recently moved to support. The pardon, Zee said, was “like the cherry on the cake.”
On Monday, BNB changed hands around $1,137, roughly flat over the past day, according to crypto data provider CoinGecko. The token’s price has increased 18% over the past month, repeatedly setting record highs in recent weeks.
Zhao’s exchange has links to Trump-backed World Liberty Financial. The decentralized finance project’s USD1 stablecoin was tapped for a $2 billion investment in Binance from Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund MGX earlier this year.
Although some celebrated Zhao’s pardon, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was among critics that described the president’s MOVE as indicative of corruption on Thursday.
“First, Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to a criminal money laundering charge. Then he boosted one of Donald Trump’s crypto ventures and lobbied for a pardon,” she said in a statement shared with Decrypt. “Today, Donald TRUMP did his part and pardoned him.”
