The crypto world was rocked when Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the legendary founder and CEO of Binance, announced his decision to step down.
The news left the crypto community reeling, as CZ has been one of the most prominent and influential leaders since launching Binance in 2017. He helped guide its meteoric rise to dominance while courting controversy as regulators cracked down on the company’s aggressive expansion.
Now that CZ has exited the stage, what does this mean for Binance’s future direction? What is the impact on the crypto community? Or does CZ still plan to pull strings behind the scenes? His departure is shrouded in uncertainty. But one thing’s for sure – with CZ leaving, nothing will ever be quite the same for the embattled crypto juggernaut.
Let us have a good look at some factors to be able to decide if this development is a fresh start or the start of an era.
What Really Happened to CZ?
Binance’s CEO pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge and resigned as CEO. The US Justice Department has charged the company with conducting an unlicensed money laundering business, a conspiracy charge and violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
In the incident that happened on November 21, Zhao agreed to pay a $50 million fine as part of a comprehensive agreement that was hammered out with the US Justice Department to keep the business afloat. Apart from this, a $4.4 billion fine and guilty plea were also agreed upon by Binance.
The Binance settlement comes just over a month after Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty on seven charges of deception and conspiracy for his role in the downfall of FTX, a trading platform equal only to Binance in size. When he is sentenced next year, the FTX founder faces 115 years in prison.
While this is not the first time the Binance CEO will be charged with crimes, in June, the SEC slapped Binance and CZ with 13 charges for violating securities law and misleading U.S. investors. At the time, the company and its U.S.-based affiliate, BAM Trading, were accused of operating unregistered exchanges and broker-dealers, misrepresenting trading control, engaging in unregistered securities sales and more.
Also Read: Binance & Coinbase Under Fire: Is the SEC Killing Crypto?
What CZ’s Departure Means For The Future of Binance ?
The unexpected resignation of Changpeng “CZ” Zhao from Binance has signalled a monumental shift for the cryptocurrency exchange. As one of the most prominent founding figures in crypto, CZ has been the face of Binance since launching it to meteoric success in 2017.
CZ has notably pledged to fully relinquish the CEO mantle. Now that Richard Teng has been appointed his new successor, it may steer Binance towards a more compliant and palatable direction for global regulators.
Binance has faced mounting legal troubles under CZ’s leadership style. Perhaps with CZ stepping aside, Teng can transform its renegade image.
According to him, he is thrilled to take on the leadership after CZ at this pivotal time for the blockchain and crypto industry. As part of his mandate, Teng seeks to work with a talented team to revive the image of Binance and ensure high standards are upheld globally.
Will Regulators View the Shift Positively?
With CZ out of the picture, regulators hope new leadership signals a genuine shift towards playing by the rules.
Officials have accused Binance under CZ of regulatory arbitrage – exploiting legal loopholes and jurisdictions with weak oversight. If the new CEO transforms its compliance posture, regulators could ease pressure in response.
However, uncertainties linger given that CZ’s stepping down from the throne is still fresh, and watchdogs will focus closely on whether incoming CEO “Teng” truly has the autonomy to chart a compliant course.
It is possible that Richard Teng will be under the watchful eyes of crypto regulators to ensure that he keeps to his promises and stair the company in the right direction and compliance with crypto regulatory guidelines.
Traders and investors on the other end would expect concrete commitments from Teng to clean up dodgy business lines, bolster KYC protocols and increase transparency through audits. Teng must also fill key vacancies with credible compliance veterans. Only then might wary officials interpret CZ’s exit as more than lip service.
What Crypto Figures Are Saying About Binance’s Leadership Change?
According to experts, following the news of Zhao, there was a significant change in the global crypto landscape. There was pressure on major cryptocurrencies, resulting in the overall crypto market falling below $1.4 trillion, but later bounced back and surged nearly 3% to $1.42 trillion.
Some experts say that this indicates the crypto industry is maturing.
The news of Binance’s resignation had an effect on the BNB price surge and drop.
BNB has maintained a five-month high of $271.90 as a result of the announcement by the US Department of Justice that it would be settling its legal dispute with Binance for $4.3 billion.
However, this was quickly undone by the breaking news of Binance’s former CEO, Cahngpeng Zhao, resigning as the company head.
Analysts view the conclusion of Binance’s litigation with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States, and the Department of Justice as an encouraging sign that could have favourable effects on the cryptocurrency sector, despite the fact that the exact terms of the agreement were not revealed until a press briefing on November 21 at 3 p.m. ET.
Similarly, Binance recorded a total outflow of $2.73 billion, which was expected to reach $3 billion in hours. This happened a few hours after Changpeng Zhao, aka CZ, pleaded guilty to money laundering.
This is a result of fear on the part of investors and also because the world is yet to rest from the FTX bad news that rocked the crypto industry.
Although data from DeFiLama puts Binance as the largest cryptocurrency exchange, other exchanges have been benefiting from the outflow from Binance. For example, the OKX exchange saw over $152 million inflow during that time.
On-chain analysts and market commentator Will Clemete said that Bitcoin ETF approval is now possible with Binance out of the way. According to him, Binance has been one of the major reasons the SEC has been silent and hesitant with the ETF approval.
Conclusion:
Changpeng Zhao’s abrupt resignation has sent shockwaves far beyond just the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. As one of crypto’s highest-profile leaders and crypto billionaires, CZ was an outsized figure carrying clout across the entire blockchain landscape. His departure foreshadows big changes ahead.
For Binance itself, all eyes are on the incoming CEO “Tseng” to stabilize operations after four years of CZ’s helter-skelter leadership style. Regulators also await proof that Tseng can lead Binance out of its legal quagmires.
Meanwhile, rivals may seek to capitalize on the uncertainty by luring activity and talent away from the industry juggernaut. Some observers even suggest Binance could be divided into separate global entities under unclear new management.
So, while CZ faces jail time, his absence leaves giant shoes to fill at Binance’s helm. The shape and direction crypto’s dominant exchange takes next could ripple across the entire digital asset ecosystem. Amidst so much lingering ambiguity, one thing’s certain: post-CZ, Binance will never be quite the same.
