Changpeng Zhao (Chinese: 赵长鹏; pinyin: Zhào Zhǎngpéng), commonly known as "CZ", is a Chinese-Canadian business executive. Zhao is the founder and CEO of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume as of April 2018.[2][3] Zhao was previously a member of the team that developed Blockchain.info and also served as chief technology officer of OKCoin.[4]
Early life and education[edit]
Zhao was born in Jiangsu province, China. In the late 1980s, he moved with his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His father was a professor in China before he was branded "pro-bourgeois intellect" and exiled from his country. In his teenage years, Zhao helped support his family by working a number of service industry jobs which included being a McDonald's employee.[4]
Zhao attended McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he majored in computer science.[4]
Career[edit]
After university, Zhao began working for the Tokyo Stock Exchange, developing software for matching trade orders. He also worked at Bloomberg Tradebook where he was a developer of futures trading software.[4]
In 2005, he moved to Shanghai where he founded Fusion Systems,[5] known for "some of the fastest high-frequency trading systems for brokers."[4]
Beginning in 2013, he worked for various cryptocurrency projects including Blockchain.info and also served as chief technology officer of OKCoin.[4]
In 2017, Zhao left OKCoin to start a cryptocurrency exchange called Binance. He launched the company in July 2017, following a $15 million funding raised during an initial coin offering.[3] In less than eight months, Zhao grew Binance into the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, as of April 2018.[2][3] Zhao also launched blockchain network Binance Smart Chain[when?] that has made significant contribution to the development of the decentralized finance industry.[6]
In February 2018, Forbes Magazine placed him third on their list of "The Richest People In Cryptocurrency".[2][4][7] As of 2021, his net worth is estimated at $1.9 billion.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Changpeng Zhao". Forbes. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ a b c Cao, Sissi (2018-04-03). "Despite Bitcoin Bubble Popping, Crypto Exchanges Are Making Billionaires Richer". Observer. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
- ^ a b c Lee, Justina; Nakamura, Yuji; Robertson, Benjamin (2018-03-28). "How a Billionaire Crypto King Built the No. 1 Exchange in Just 8 Months". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ambler, Pamela (February 28, 2018). "From Zero To Crypto Billionaire In Under A Year: Meet The Founder Of Binance". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ^ Russell, Jon (2018-05-04). "Catch Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao at TechCrunch's blockchain event on July 6". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ "Opinion: The technology behind cryptocurrencies can spark the innovations to help us shape a fairer world". The Independent. 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
- ^ Forbes editors (February 6, 2018). "The Richest People In Cryptocurrency". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ^ "Changpeng Zhao". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
