‘The King Is Back’: Binance Billionaire CZ Plots Life After Prison

Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, arrived at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai to rapturous applause and a long line of fans eager for a selfie with him. Deep in the pulsating crowd, a man yelled “he is a martyr” while in another part of the room a promoter of a startup boldly declared: “the king is back!”

Back, that is, from a US prison halfway around the world. Yet the crypto billionaire known as CZ isn’t back at the helm of the largest crypto exchange, since his plea deal with the Department of Justice forbids him from leading the company. And he says he’s OK with that.