Changpeng Zhao, the Binance founder who holds Canadian citizenship, added US$9.8 billion to his fortune in the 24 hours to Sept. 20, bringing his net worth to US$91.2 billion, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Net Worth tracker. The one-day gain tracks a rally in cryptocurrency prices, which lifts the value of Zhao’s roughly 90 per cent ownership stake in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Forbes’ tracker showed Zhao’s wealth has grown by US$41.5 billion, or about 84 per cent, since the start of 2026. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index had estimated his fortune at US$26.8 billion when he stepped down as Binance’s chief executive in 2023. Bloomberg revised that estimate sharply higher in June, after cutting the illiquidity discount it applies to Binance’s private valuation to 15 per cent from 50 per cent, citing reduced regulatory risk facing the exchange.
Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to a felony charge under the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act tied to Binance’s anti-money-laundering compliance, paid a US$50-million personal fine and served four months in a U.S. federal prison in 2024. He kept his roughly 90 per cent stake in Binance and remains among the world’s richest people on Forbes’ billionaires list.
Zhao has questioned the precision of such rankings. After Forbes valued him at US$110 billion in March, he wrote on social media that the estimate was “definitely not accurate,” calling wealth rankings a “‘guess a number’ list, at least for me,” given how much cryptocurrency prices swing.
