Changpeng Zhao
Taiwan, China
China
cryptocurrency exchange, Self Made
$1,200,000,000
1818
#1818 Billionaires 2019
#216 China Rich List 2018
Changpeng Zhao, who goes by CZ, is founder and CEO of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange that became the largest on the planet in just under 180 days.The Chinese-Canadian coder cut his teeth building high-frequency trading systems for Wall Street's flash boys. Due to the crypto bear market, Binance's quarterly profits fell from $150 million in early 2018 to about $50 million at year's end.Binance is the largest crypto exchange in the world, with $500 million in daily trading volume as of early 2019. It claims to have 25% market share.Customers pay Binance in cryptocurrencies, not cash.
Zhao was born in Jiangsu, China. His father, a professor, was labeled a pro-bourgeois intellect and temporarily exiled shortly after CZ was born.As a teenager in Vancouver, CZ pitched in to cover the household expenses, flipping burgers at McDonald's and working overnight shifts at a gas station.
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