Forbes Lists Changpeng Zhao as Crypto’s Richest Billionaire, With a Networth Outpacing Bill Gates  ⋆ ZyCrypto

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Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, has surpassed Bill Gates in personal wealth, according to new estimates from Forbes.

The publication estimates Zhao’s net worth at about $110 billion, an increase of roughly $47 billion over the past year. That surge places him 17th on the global billionaire rankings and among fewer than 20 individuals worldwide with fortunes exceeding $100 billion.

Gates, who was once the world’s richest person and cofounder of Microsoft, is now estimated at about $108 billion and ranks 19th.

The shift is noteworthy given Zhao’s situation less than two years ago. After a sweeping investigation into Binance’s compliance practices, Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. The founder paid a $50 million fine, stepped down as chief executive, and served four months in a California prison, while Binance agreed to a broader $4.3 billion settlement.

Despite the leadership change, the foundation of Zhao’s wealth is his large stake in Binance. Legal filings indicate he controls roughly 90 percent of the privately held exchange, which analysts estimate could be worth around $100 billion.

That said, the platform is still the world’s largest crypto exchange with about 38 percent market share and processes more than $30 trillion in annual trading volume across spot and derivatives markets.

Industry estimates cited by Forbes suggest Binance generated between $16 billion and $17 billion in revenue across 2024 and 2025, more than double the $6.6 billion reported by U.S. rival Coinbase. Binance’s ecosystem also includes the BNB Chain, which has a market capitalization of nearly $88 billion.

Zhao’s wealth increase coincides with Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency and a policy environment viewed as more supportive of digital assets. Binance also agreed last year to accept the USD1 stablecoin issued by the Trump family-backed venture World Liberty Financial as payment tied to a $2 billion investment from Abu Dhabi firm MGX.

Zhao himself appeared skeptical of the ranking. Responding to the Forbes list on X, he questioned how his wealth could have risen when crypto prices had fallen sharply in 2026.

“Didn’t read the Forbes article,” Zhao wrote, “but if you just look at the little chart, you know it’s wrong.”