Changpeng Zhao, founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has seen his estimated net worth rise by $9.76 billion in 24 hours to $91.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The increase, recorded on September 20, 2026, represents a gain of about 12% in a single day and takes Zhao’s wealth……
Changpeng Zhao, founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has seen his estimated net worth rise by $9.76 billion in 24 hours to $91.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The increase, recorded on September 20, 2026, represents a gain of about 12% in a single day and takes Zhao’s wealth growth for the year to $41.5 billion, an 83.6% increase. Bloomberg’s index ranked him 22nd among the world’s richest people as of September 20.
Zhao, 49, founded Binance in 2017 and remains the company’s largest shareholder. Forbes estimates that he owns about 90% of the privately held cryptocurrency exchange, with his fortune closely tied to the value attributed to the company and his holdings of its BNB token.
Unlike conventional salary income or cash dividends, much of Zhao’s wealth is based on the estimated value of his ownership in Binance. Forbes estimates the exchange’s transaction-fee revenue using its trailing 12-month spot and derivatives trading volumes, tracked by CoinGecko, alongside estimates of average transaction fees.
Bloomberg, meanwhile, estimates that Binance generated about $5.4 billion in transaction-fee revenue. That figure is adjusted using the average ratio of transaction-fee revenue to total revenue among publicly traded companies, producing an estimated total revenue of $10.7 billion.
Binance is then valued using enterprise-value-to-sales multiples from a group of publicly traded companies, including Coinbase Global, Riot Platforms, Gemini Space Station, Circle Internet Group and Cboe Global Markets.
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A change in Bloomberg’s valuation methodology has also contributed significantly to the rise in Zhao’s estimated wealth this year. On June 3, Bloomberg reduced the discount applied to Binance’s valuation from 50% to 15%, citing reduced regulatory and legal concerns surrounding the company. The adjustment increased Zhao’s estimated net worth by about $36 billion.
Zhao’s latest wealth increase comes after several major developments involving him and Binance. In October 2025, US President Donald Trump granted him a full and unconditional pardon after Zhao had served nearly four months in prison following his guilty plea to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering programme at Binance. The US Department of Justice records the pardon as having been granted on October 21, 2025.
Zhao was sentenced in April 2024 to four months in prison and fined $50 million after pleading guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering programme at Binance. The Justice Department said Binance had processed cryptocurrency transactions involving US users without the required compliance controls.
Despite stepping down as Binance CEO in 2023 as part of the company’s settlement with US authorities, Zhao retained his stake in the exchange.
Zhao’s wealth has fluctuated sharply over the years alongside changes in Binance’s estimated valuation and the broader cryptocurrency market. In January 2022, reports put his fortune above $96 billion, making him one of the world’s wealthiest people at the time.
