On October 28, Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, shared a post on X, correcting the allegations about his wealth. Meanwhile, Forbes shows a completely different real-time net worth for the founder of the biggest crypto exchange in the world.
Here is the available data about CZ’s wealth and the answer to a very important question: Does it really matter?
Forbes Lists CZ as the 24th Billionaire in 2025
Forbes’ real-time data shows that CZ’s net worth is $88 billion as of October 28. The magazine lists him as being the 24th billionaire in 2025, and the 22nd richest person in Singapore from the top of Singapore’s 50 Richest people, a list created in 2021.
According to Forbes magazine, CZ’s source of wealth is the Binance crypto exchange, and he’s a self-made billionaire.
The publication shows Binance’s founder’s wealth trajectory as well. According to them, in 2021, CZ’s wealth was approximately $1,9 billion, and it topped $65 billion in 2022. After decreasing to $10,5 billion in 2023, CZ’s net worth surged again, reaching $33 billion in 2024 and topping $62,9 billion in 2025.
In 2018, after launching Binance in 2017, CZ’s wealth was $1.4 billion, according to Forbes.
CZ Dismissed Forbes’ Data
Binance‘s founder has dismissed Forbes’ reports about his wealth, calling such figures too high and irrelevant, and emphasizing that what truly matters is helping others and making the world better.
Forbes claims that the BNB price rally above $1,200 boosted CZ’s valuation of his equity stake in Binance. The magazine notes that CZ holds approximately 90% of the exchange and a stash of its BNB tokens.
Regardless of his exact wealth, CZ’s charitable work has been made public, and it includes various donations to industry peers, such as the recent $10 million in BNB donation to Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin’s open-source biotech project in 2025.
CZ has also established the Giggle Academy, a non-profit education initiative created to support children worldwide. Giggle Academy’s aim is to offer children access to education while making learning fun and free for everyone.
CZ’s Latest Statements About His Wealth
Today, CZ shared a post on X, citing data from PA News, a leading crypto news outlet from Asia, which lists him as the 13th richest person in the Hurun Rich List, with a wealth of approximately 190 billion yuan or over $26,7 billion.
The outlet claims that CZ’s wealth is up by about 41% from 2024, going up 3 places from last year.
However, CZ posted that the information is nonsense, and his net worth is the amount mentioned by the outlet divided by 100. This means that CZ’s net worth is approximately $267 million, according to his statement.
胡说，➗100 差不多吧😂 https://t.co/QfqrenxC0n
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 28, 2025
Unlike His Real Fortune, CZ’s Charitable Work is What Matters
As a conclusion, there are various claims online about CZ’s real wealth, but, in the end, the real numbers don’t matter. What matters is the fact that CZ has been supporting the crypto industry, doing his part to make the ecosystem a better place for everyone.
More than that, CZ has been helping children all over the world gain access to free education, which is something that not a lot of wealthy people are focused on. His charitable work and support for others are what truly matter.
Just like it doesn’t matter who created Bitcoin, and what’s valuable is the creator’s legacy to the world, it doesn’t really matter how much money CZ has in his accounts – it only matters that he’s using his wealth to help others as well.
CZ’s global contributions have been recognized in the US recently, and the President, Donald Trump, has issued a pardon for him. Also, a statue of Binance’s founder is reportedly coming to Washington, DC.
