BREAKING: Trump Pardons Binance Founder CZ — Could This Ignite the Next BNB Rally?

In a move sending shockwaves through both Washington and Wall Street, President Donald Trump has officially pardoned Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, just months after the former crypto titan served a brief prison sentence tied to one of the largest financial settlements in U.S. history.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the pardon followed months of private lobbying efforts and quiet discussions reportedly linked to Zhao’s financial backing of a Trump family crypto venture — an emerging project designed to position the Trump brand at the center of America’s digital asset boom.

Sources close to the administration said Trump had grown increasingly sympathetic to Zhao’s case, describing it as a “political hit job” orchestrated by regulatory elites hostile to crypto innovation.

“He sees CZ as someone who got caught in the crossfire of anti-crypto politics,” one insider told WSJ. “Trump wants to make a statement — that crypto belongs in America, not offshore.”

Zhao, who pled guilty in late 2023 to failing to maintain proper anti-money laundering controls at Binance, resigned as CEO and paid a $50 million fine, while Binance itself was hit with a record $4.3 billion penalty. In April 2024, Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison, far less than the 36 months sought by the Department of Justice.

Behind the scenes, the White House reportedly ramped up pardon discussions in early October, with financial journalist Charles Gasparino revealing that “people close to CZ” had said Trump was “leaning toward a pardon” despite internal pushback over the optics of supporting a convicted crypto executive.

The market has already begun reacting. Following the news, BNB spiked sharply in after-hours trading, with analysts speculating that Trump’s move could spark a renewed wave of optimism for Binance and pro-crypto policy momentum heading into the 2025 election cycle.

For many investors, this pardon is more than a political gesture — it’s a signal.

The U.S. government may finally be turning from crypto’s biggest adversary into its most powerful ally.