Early Life & Education
Born in 1977 in Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China, to teacher–professor parents who faced political persecution.
At age 12, his family emigrated to Vancouver, where he worked various service jobs to support them.Earned a BSc in Computer Science from McGill University in Montreal.
💼 Early Career.Built trade‑matching systems at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, later at Bloomberg Tradebook.Founded Fusion Systems in Shanghai (2005), focused on high‑performance.
Became CTO at Blockchain.info and OKCoin in 2013–2014.
🚀 Founding Binance. In July 2017, launched Binance after raising $15 M via an ICO; quickly surpassed all rivals in volume.created Binance Coin (BNB) and Binance Smart Chain to compete with Ethereum .
⚖️ Legal Challenges & Leadership Change
In November 2023, pleaded guilty in the U.S. to violating anti‑money‑laundering laws; Binance paid a combined $4.3 B in fines.Sentenced in April 2024 to four months in prison; released by September 2024.
Resigned as CEO and was permanently barred from managing Binance; Richard Teng took over.
🌍 Wealth & Influence.Once among the world’s richest—net worth peaked near $95 B; Forbes estimates ~$64.8 B as of May 2025.In 2025, appointed strategic advisor roles by Pakistan’s Finance Ministry (April) and Kyrgyz President (May) on blockchain and digital assets.
🤝 Personal Life & Future Plans
Holds Canadian and UAE citizenship; divides time globally, based in Dubai .Married Yang Weiqing in 2003 (later divorced); partner He Yi since 2014.After prison, he’s stepping back, exploring investments in AI, biotech and digital education platforms.
