Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, is a well-known player in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry Home. As founder and CEO of Binance, CZ has played an important role in the expansion and popularity of digital assets. Binance is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world by trading volume.

Early Life and Education

CZ was born in 1977 in Jiangsu Province, China, and spent his early years in China and Canada. In the late 1980s, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada, where CZ attended high school. He later attended McGill University in Montreal, where he earned a degree in computer science.

Early career

CZ initially worked on trading system development at the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Bloomberg. In 2005, he founded Fusion Systems, a company that provides high-frequency trading systems to stockbrokers.

Entering Cryptocurrency

CZ became interested in cryptocurrencies in 2013 when he learned about Bitcoin. Attracted by the potential of blockchain technology to disrupt traditional finance, CZ decided to pivot his career toward the cryptocurrency market. He joins Blockchain.info, a well-known Bitcoin wallet and blockchain explorer, as Head of Development. He later served as chief technology officer at cryptocurrency exchange OKCoin. These experiences have given CZ a comprehensive understanding of the cryptocurrency market and its user base.

Founded and led Binance

In 2017, CZ founded Binance, raising $15 million through an initial coin offering (ICO). Binance quickly gained attention due to its user-friendly interface, competitive fees, and rich selection of supported cryptocurrencies.

As Binance’s CEO, CZ values customer feedback and adjusts the platform to meet user needs. Under his leadership, Binance has expanded its services to include staking, lending, and futures trading, attracting a diverse set of users. If you're interested, here CZ discusses what a day in his life as a CEO is like.

CZ has also played a role in promoting the popularity of cryptocurrencies around the world. Binance partners with various companies, organizations, and governments to further integrate digital assets into the mainstream financial ecosystem.

It is worth mentioning that CZ is very active on social media platforms such as Twitter and often actively interacts with the cryptocurrency community to share updates and insights on industry developments.