Canada’s richest man, Changpeng Zhao, has been pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zhao, also known as CZ, is the former CEO and co-founder of Binance, one of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges. According to Maclean’s magazine, although the Thomson family remain Canada’s wealthiest family, with a combined net worth of C$98.15 billion , Zhao is the richest individual in Canada with an estimated net worth of C$61 billion.

In 2023 , Zhao pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and “causing Binance to violate the BSA by causing Binance to fail to implement an effective anti-money laundering program.” He spent four months in prison in California in 2024. According to Reuters , Binance paid a US$4.3-billion penalty, while Zhao paid a US$50-million criminal fine a

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