In the vast realm of cryptocurrency, Zhao Changpeng is undoubtedly a legendary figure. In just six months, the Binance platform he founded developed into one of the world's top cryptocurrency exchanges. Despite facing numerous setbacks along the way, he still possesses an astonishing amount of wealth to this day.

Zhao Changpeng was born in 1977 in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. His mother was a teacher, and his father was a scholar at the University of British Columbia. When he was 12 years old, he moved with his family to Vancouver, Canada. To ease the financial burden on his family, he worked hard at McDonald's, earning an hourly wage of 4.5 CAD (about 24 RMB), and also worked night shifts at a gas station. These early working experiences instilled in him a strong desire and deep interest in money.

In 1997, Zhao Changpeng graduated from McGill University in Montreal and immediately began working as a software developer at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, successfully developing a system for accurately matching trading orders. Four years later, he moved to New York and joined Bloomberg, where he participated in the development of futures trading software and became a leading figure in the company's teams in New Jersey, London, and Tokyo.

In 2005, Zhao Changpeng resolutely returned to China to start his entrepreneurial journey, founding several companies such as Fusion Information and Bijie Technology in Shanghai, successfully earning his first pot of gold. In December 2013, inspired by one of the founders of Ethereum, he boldly entered the emerging field of cryptocurrency. He sold a property in Shanghai worth 1 million USD and invested all the proceeds into Bitcoin, while also joining a cryptocurrency wallet team to develop related products. During this period, he met Xu Mingxing, the founder of OKCoin, and joined the platform as a co-founder, serving as the Chief Technology Officer. However, after 9 months, due to serious differences with Xu Mingxing over the company's development direction, he ultimately chose to leave.

In June 2017, Zhao Changpeng officially established the cryptocurrency trading platform Binance and sincerely invited his confidante He Yi to join, where she would be responsible for the platform's marketing and brand development. He Yi had a wealth of experience; before she joined Binance, the value of BNB was only 0.5 CNY. However, astonishingly, within just half a month of her joining, the price of BNB skyrocketed, increasing nearly 20 times. Just six months later, Binance had acquired as many as 6 million users, and its business extended to over 180 countries worldwide. By January 10, 2018, Binance's daily trading volume had surpassed 10 billion USD, securing its position as the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world.

Binance continued to thrive in the market, and Zhao Changpeng's personal wealth skyrocketed. By the end of 2021, with a net worth of 94.1 billion USD, he successfully became the richest Chinese person and also ranked among the top ten richest people in the world. However, unexpected troubles arose; in March 2023, Zhao Changpeng and the Binance platform he founded were sued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission for allegedly violating trading rules. In November of the same year, he had to plead guilty to money laundering charges, paying a hefty fine of 50 million USD, resigning from his important position as CEO of Binance, and being banned from participating in any Binance-related activities for three years. Meanwhile, Binance also paid a fine of 4.316 billion USD to reach a settlement.

On April 30, 2024, Zhao Changpeng was sentenced to four months in prison in the United States. Just before his sentencing, his wealth still reached 39.7 billion USD, making him the richest person in Canada and ranking 38th on the global billionaire list. Until September 27, Zhao Changpeng was released from the correctional facility in California, still holding a substantial wealth of 26.8 billion USD, ranking 67th on the global billionaire list.

Zhao Changpeng's life experience is like a dramatic legend full of ups and downs, filled with endless tales of legend. His story is undoubtedly a passionate tale intertwined with wealth accumulation, innovative exploration, and many challenges. #BTC #ZhaoChangpeng #Binance