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Changpeng Zhao, the founding father of Binance, has surpassed Invoice Gates in private wealth, in response to new estimates from Forbes.
The publication estimates Zhao’s web value at about $110 billion, a rise of roughly $47 billion over the previous 12 months. That surge locations him seventeenth on the worldwide billionaire rankings and amongst fewer than 20 people worldwide with fortunes exceeding $100 billion.
Gates, who was as soon as the world’s richest individual and cofounder of Microsoft, is now estimated at about $108 billion and ranks nineteenth.
The shift is noteworthy given Zhao’s state of affairs lower than two years in the past. After a sweeping investigation into Binance’s compliance practices, Zhao pleaded responsible to failing to keep up an efficient anti-money laundering program. The founder paid a $50 million high quality, stepped down as chief government, and served 4 months in a California jail, whereas Binance agreed to a broader $4.3 billion settlement.
Regardless of the management change, the inspiration of Zhao’s wealth is his massive stake in Binance. Authorized filings point out he controls roughly 90 % of the privately held alternate, which analysts estimate might be value round $100 billion.
 
That stated, the platform continues to be the world’s largest crypto alternate with about 38 % market share and processes greater than $30 trillion in annual buying and selling quantity throughout spot and derivatives markets.
Business estimates cited by Forbes counsel Binance generated between $16 billion and $17 billion in income throughout 2024 and 2025, greater than double the $6.6 billion reported by U.S. rival Coinbase. Binance’s ecosystem additionally contains the BNB Chain, which has a market capitalization of practically $88 billion.
Zhao’s wealth enhance coincides with Donald Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency and a coverage surroundings seen as extra supportive of digital property. Binance additionally agreed final 12 months to simply accept the USD1 stablecoin issued by the Trump family-backed enterprise World Liberty Monetary as fee tied to a $2 billion funding from Abu Dhabi agency MGX.
Zhao himself appeared skeptical of the rating. Responding to the Forbes checklist on X, he questioned how his wealth may have risen when crypto costs had fallen sharply in 2026.
“Didn’t learn the Forbes article,” Zhao wrote, “however if you happen to simply have a look at the little chart, you understand it’s unsuitable.”
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