Donald Trump Grants Clemency to Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao, Sending BNB Price Soaring

Updated

October 24, 2025

Jakarta, Pintu News – US President Donald Trump is rumored to have pardoned Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao for convictions related to banking offenses. The price of BNB surged after this news circulated, giving the altcoin a positive (bullish) sentiment.

Trump grants clemency to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), US President Donald Trump has granted clemency to Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao.

The clemency letter was reportedly signed today, after it emerged earlier that Trump was considering granting clemency because he sympathized with the alleged political persecution suffered by CZ and others.

White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed the news. She stated that the president had used his constitutional authority to grant clemency to Zhao, who she said was victimized in the “war on crypto” waged by the Biden administration. She also added that the war is now over.

Previously, CoinGape had reported that CZ was indeed seeking clemency from Trump. In May of this year, CZ confirmed that he hoped to get it. He had previously served a four-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act, for failing to implement an adequate money laundering prevention system. As a result, CZ also stepped down from his position as CEO of Binance.

BNB Price Surges

On the other hand, BNB prices surged following news that Trump had granted clemency to CZ. Data from TradingView shows that the token price rose from below $1,120 to a daily high above $1,140. In the past 24 hours, BNB has recorded a gain of more than 7%, and more than 4% since the report was released.

This clemency from Trump legally erases the conviction of Changpeng Zhao and paves the way for his return to Binance. Previously, he stayed away from the company after serving his sentence. CoinGape has also previously reported rumors that CZ may return to lead Binance.

These rumors grew stronger after CZ changed his X account bio from “@ex-binance” to “@binance”, almost two years after he resigned. Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is also rumored to be considering lifting compliance oversight on Binance.

CZ Reaction to Trump’s Clemency

Through a post on the X platform, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) expressed his deep gratitude for the clemency granted by President Trump. He praised Trump for upholding America’s commitment to justice, innovation and a fair legal system.

CZ also added that he will do everything he can to help realize the president’s vision of making America the center of the world’s crypto industry.

BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes jokingly welcomed CZ into the “club” of crypto founders who have been sentenced. Previously, Trump had also granted clemency to Hayes, who pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in 2022.

Meanwhile, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson also congratulated CZ, stating that Trump had corrected a “great injustice” by granting the pardon.

Hoskinson thinks that using the US Department of Justice as a political weapon against the crypto industry and its entrepreneurs should never have happened. “It was a deep wound that still hasn’t healed and will take a long time to heal,” he said.

Congratulations to my friend @cz_binance. Trump has corrected a grave injustice. The weaponization of the justice department against our industry and its entrepreneurs should have never happened. It was and still is a deep wound that will take a long time to heal https://t.co/OirXN3fSZC
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) October 23, 2025

However, not everyone welcomed the clemency positively. Senator Elizabeth Warren – known as one of the leading figures in the Biden administration’s war on crypto – issued a strong statement condemning Trump’s decision.

Warren mentioned that CZ had previously pleaded guilty to money laundering charges, and then used his position to support the president’s crypto initiative and lobby for clemency.

“If Congress does not stop this form of corruption through the market structure legislation under consideration, then Congress itself is responsible for this legal mess,” he said.

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