Cryptocurrency exchange Binance co-founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao has been released from prison, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) said.

Changpeng Zhao, known as “CZ,” is a visionary serial entrepreneur with an impressive track record of success. He founded Binance in July 2017 and, in just 180 days, managed to grow it into the world’s largest digital asset exchange by trading volume. 🌍

However, in April, Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison after violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) for failing to implement an adequate Know Your Customer (KYC) program at Binance. As part of his plea deal, CZ agreed to pay a $50 million fine and step down from his position as Binance CEO. The exchange also agreed to pay $4.3 billion to U.S. regulators to settle various related charges.

Zhao, who was temporarily known as inmate No. 88087-510, served three months in a low-security prison, Lompoc II, on California's central coast. In August, he was transferred to a halfway house in San Pedro, California. He has an estimated net worth of $25.3 billion, making him the richest person ever to have set foot in a U.S. prison, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. 💼💰

Now, CZ has shared his thoughts again via his X (formerly Twitter) account:

"Giggle Academy has been going really well and will be a big part of my life for years to come. I'll continue to invest in decentralized technologies/blockchain, AI, and biotech. I'm a long-term investor, focused on impact rather than returns. I'll also be devoting more time and resources to charity and education. I'm still working on my book, about two-thirds of the way through. While it's more work than I expected, I will finish it. Oh, and Binance seems to be doing really well without me at the wheel, which is great! A founder's dream!"

CZ not only revolutionized the cryptocurrency market by increasing the value of $BNB by 90x 🚀, driving projects within the BNB ecosystem to grow by up to 100x. He has also shown a deep interest in the education sector, with key investments in @GiggleAcademy, a project that promises to be an essential part of its future.

The education sector has great growth potential, with many projects still in their early stages (low-caps), ready to take off. 📈

One such project is @opencampus_xyz ($EDU), a community-led DAO that brings education ON-CHAIN. Backed by Binance and a grant from Arbitrum, Open Campus is positioned as the largest educational project on blockchain, with a market cap of USD 176.8M. The education of the future is here! 🌐

#BinanceTurns7 #Cz #Binance