Binance Founder CZ Speaks Out on His Role, US Plans and Liquidity Push

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, says there are too many misunderstandings about him and Binance and he is making the rounds in the US to set the record straight.

Fresh off a four month prison stint and a presidential pardon. He made one thing clear he does not want to run Binance, Binance.US, or any company. But he is still very much in the picture.

“I’ve perceived there’s a lot of misunderstandings about Binance, about myself,” he said. “I’m here to just talk to more people.”

His Biggest Concern — US Traders Are Getting a Raw Deal on Liquidity

CZ’s main pitch is straightforward. US crypto traders do not have access to the best liquidity, which means they are paying more to buy and sell crypto than traders elsewhere in the world. He wants Binance.US to tap into the global exchange’s deeper liquidity pool to fix that.

“Crypto is the only place where US consumers do not have the best prices,” he said. “We’re trying to figure out how to fix it.”

So What Is CZ’s Actual Role?

He is the dominant shareholder of both Binance and Binance.US but says he does not touch day-to-day operations at either. The two companies have separate CEOs, separate teams and barely speak to each other according to CZ. He describes his preferred role as informally advising founders short calls, no board seats.

Even at home, where he lives with Binance co-CEO Yi He in the UAE, he says they do not talk business. His main gauge for how Binance is doing? The bitcoin price.

“If the bitcoin price is going up, the company is generally doing well,” he said. “It’s a very good index.”