Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Chao on Sunday addressed the “sensitive question” of whether Binance will seek repayment of the $4.3 billion fine it paid as part of the compensation. BinanceFollowing a recent presidential pardon, he will reach a settlement with US authorities in 2023.
In response to a tweet from author and blockchain expert Andy Liang, Zhao said the matter was a “sensitive question” and that such a refund “I don’t think was called for.”
Ah, that’s a delicate question.
1. Thank you for your understanding already. There is a balance between asking for more, asking for “what’s fair,” and being grateful for what you already have.
2. If I get my money back, I’ll invest it in America anyway to show my gratitude.
I don’t think you have heard it yet 🙏
— CZ🔶BNB (@cz_binance) November 17, 2025
“We are already grateful for the pardon,” he said, adding, “There is a balance between asking for more and ‘justice’ and being grateful for what we already have.”
“If I get my money back, I’m going to invest it in America anyway to show my gratitude,” the former Binance CEO said.
This conversation also clearly raises complex issues about Mr. Zhao’s use of the word “we.” Since CZ has resigned as a Binance executive under the terms of the settlement, he cannot speak on behalf of the exchange while answering questions about “your” $4.3 billion in fines, which were paid by the exchange.
Under the terms of the plea agreement agreed to as part of the settlement, Binance agreed to pay a $2.5 billion forfeiture and a $1.8 billion criminal fine, while Mr. Zhao personally paid a $50 million fine.
decryption has asked Binance for clarification and will update this article if we receive a response.
CZ Presidential Pardon
President Donald Trump pardoned Zhao last month, ending the legal consequences of his guilty plea to violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws.
Chao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to charges of failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program at Binance and allowing funds related to terrorism, hacking, and other crimes to flow through the exchange.
The Binance founder was sentenced to four months in prison last May, serving his sentence at a minimum-security facility in Lompoc, California.
In an exclusive interview held in May, decryption Mr. Zhao, of sister company Rag Radio, dismissed reports that he offered Binance.US shares in exchange for the pardon.
Trump defended his decision in a “60 Minutes” interview published earlier this month, describing Zhao as a “respected” entrepreneur who was “a victim of government weaponization” and noting that he had heard “it was a Biden witch hunt.”
Democrats quickly denounced the pardon, with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) calling it a “terrifying but unsurprising reflection of the presidential era” and arguing that “the pardon was a quid pro quo.”
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) have introduced a resolution condemning the pardon, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) has described it as “blatant corruption” and said he will push for legislation to ban members of Congress from holding cryptocurrencies.
Binance’s closeness to the Trump family’s crypto empire had raised eyebrows long before the pardon. In early March, the exchange processed a $2 billion investment from Abu Dhabi’s MGX, which settled at $1. stable coin It was minted by the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial Project.
In June, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) sent a letter to the CEOs of MGX and Binance, asking the companies to preserve records of the $1 investment, which they described as “effectively drawing President Trump into a multibillion-dollar international transaction.”
