CZ praises crypto’s recovery as he reflects on one year after prison release

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the billionaire founder of Binance, has marked the anniversary of his release from U.S. prison with a reflection on the crypto industry’s recovery and his own repositioning as a builder outside the direct management of the world’s largest digital asset exchange.

In a post on X, Zhao, known popularly as CZ, stated that it had been “a year (and 2 days)” since he left U.S. custody. “Thank you for your support, and let’s continue to build together. Be on the right side of history,” he wrote.

A bullish year for crypto

CZ’s anniversary message cited new all-time highs for Binance’s own token, BNB, alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum. “We saw #BNB reaching All-Time-High after ATH. We saw #BTC reaching ATH. We even saw #ETH reaching ATH,” he wrote.

Bitcoin surged past $124,000 in August 2025 before retracing to about $112,000 as of the time of writing. Ethereum also hit its all-time high in August, briefly exceeding $4,900, while BNB topped $1,000, its highest level on record. 

CZ also highlighted a resurgence in utility tokens, more trading volumes on-chain, and increased decentralization. He commended increased developer activity on BNB Chain, Binance’s proprietary network, and the crypto ecosystem at large.

Policy shifts in Washington also featured in his post, as he pointed out that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has moved away from its aggressive regulation by enforcement strategy, thanks to a pro-crypto consideration by the administration of President Donald Trump. 

In May, the SEC dropped its long-running lawsuit against Binance, citing a new regulatory posture.

A good year so far for CZ

CZ’s activities in the industry have now been geared towards investments, while also embarking on philanthropic and educational projects such as Giggle Academy, an online educational platform he launched in 2024. He says Giggle Academy has reached over 50,000 children with free digital courses.

He recently invested in Aster, a decentralized perpetual exchange that was launched in early September. CZ has been vocal in projecting Aster’s value to the market as a better option than rivals like Hyperliquid. 

YZI Labs (formerly Binance Labs), CZ’s venture firm, owns a minority stake in Aster, with CZ himself stating that the platform competes with Binance but helps the BNB chain ecosystem.

Binance itself continues to operate under new leadership and tighter compliance oversight, while maintaining its position as the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

CZ’s 2024 legal issues 

CZ’s legal troubles culminated in April 2024 when a federal judge sentenced him to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to anti-money laundering violations at Binance, part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. He was fined $50 million personally, while Binance agreed to extensive compliance monitoring.

He served his term and was released in late September 2024. During his incarceration, CZ’s personal fortune exceeded $60 billion and made him the richest inmate in U.S. history.

He has ruled out returning as Binance’s chief executive officer, a post he resigned from in late 2023 under the terms of the plea deal, as he was reportedly banned from ever managing or operating the exchange.

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