Binance Founder's Wealth Persists Despite Legal Troubles

Despite paying over $4B in fines, Changpeng Zhao remains the world's richest crypto billionaire with a net worth over $33B.

Zhao founded Binance in 2017, quickly making it one of the largest crypto exchanges, but stepped down as CEO after pleading guilty to money laundering.

Binance and Zhao have paid billions in fines related to offering unapproved financial products and encouraging US investors to illegally trade on the platform.

Zhao is awaiting sentencing up to 10 years, but new Binance CEO Richard Teng has kept the company profitable allowing Zhao to retain his wealth.

With a 90% stake, Zhao's Binance shares comprise most of his $33B net worth - nearly 3 times higher than the next richest crypto billionaire.