Binance Eyes US Return After Trump Pardon for CZ: Report

Binance is exploring strategic options to re-enter the United States market following President Donald Trump’s pardon of founder Changpeng Zhao , with the exchange considering consolidating its separate US affiliate into its global operations or having its main platform serve American investors directly, Bloomberg ￰1￱ pardon, issued Wednesday after Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to maintain adequate anti-money laundering controls, has sparked intense debate over conflicts of interest given Binance’s recent $2 billion deal involving Trump’s family crypto firm World Liberty Financial. BREAKING: Trump pardons Binance founder CZ following lobbying efforts, according to WSJ sources familiar with the matter. #Trump #CZ #Binance ￰0￱ — ￰2￱ (@cryptonews) October 23, 2025 Hours after receiving the pardon mid-flight, Zhao announced his renewed ambitions for the world’s largest crypto exchange, saying he would “ do everything we can to help make America the Capital of Crypto and advance web3 worldwide .” BNB , the native token of Binance’s blockchain network, surged 8% on Thursday following news of the ￰3￱ Clears Path for Binance Expansion The presidential pardon carries sweeping legal implications that could fundamentally change Zhao’s involvement with Binance and its ￰4￱ to Bloomberg, Jonathan Groth, a partner at DGIM Law, confirmed that the clemency allows Zhao to re-engage with Binance ventures, removing barriers that had sidelined the billionaire founder since his November 2023 guilty plea..

With a net worth of $61.4 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index , Zhao wields considerable influence over Binance’s blockchain ecosystem, which hosts approximately $8.7 billion in assets and ranks third behind Ethereum and Solana.) October 24, 2025 Congresswoman Maxine Waters also slammed the Trump administration’s decision as a way to “ effectively legitimize the crypto crime CZ was convicted of ” and give him “ the green light to continue operating his crypto platform with virtually no guardrails to protect the hard-earned funds of everyday investors. ” She stated that “ Trump’s pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao .. is an appalling but unsurprising reflection of his presidency: one defined by corruption, self-interest, and loyalty to criminals over working-class American families. ” However, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt defended the decision as thoroughly reviewed by lawyers, framing the pardon as a response to heavy-handed Democratic tactics and claiming the Biden administration waged a “ war on cryptocurrency ” by pursuing Zhao despite no fraud allegations or identifiable victims.