Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is once again making news for his appearance at the Mar-a-Lago summit in the United States. As per a report by The Wall Street Journal, CZ has returned to the United States for the first time since his release in 2024 to attend a cryptocurrency summit.
The summit has been organized by World Liberty Financial, which is a crypto initiative founded by the Trump family, and included all key personalities from the finance, political, and crypto world.
During the summit, Zhao met with Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., later posting on X that he had “learned a lot” from the discussions.
However, critics argued that the attendance seems rather suspicious given that CZ’s was granted a presidential pardon by President Donald Trump.
Other attendees at the event reportedly included David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Lynn Martin of the New York Stock Exchange, investor Kevin O’Leary, Brian Armstrong of Coinbase, Senator Bernie Moreno, and artist Nicki Minaj.
Zhao’s appearance turned out to be a big deal since it showed that he was slowly returning to public industry events. It also showed how crypto leaders, Wall Street executives, policymakers, and celebrities are all sharing the same stage regularly to discuss industry developments.
Trump pardon supports CZ’s U.S. return
Donald Trump’s pardon of Changpeng Zhao removed major legal restrictions that had limited his ability to travel to and conduct business in the United States earlier.
Zhao can now more easily get back in touch with key people in finance and regulation given that the hurdles are out of the way. This will help him rebuild his presence in key industry circles.
The timing for the event attendance is also important as it comes at a time when Binance is reportedly playing an increasingly important role in World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin project.
It is reported that the exchange controls approximately 85 percent to 87 percent of the stablecoin’s $5.4 billion circulating supply, which has given the Trump-backed project a significant boost.
Market raises eyebrow at CZ’s event attendance
Critics argue this overlap raises potential conflict-of-interest concerns, given the political connections and growing financial influence tied to the project.
It is also interesting to note that the situation reflects how dramatically the crypto world and its key figures can change over time. An industry which has just bloomed into a mainstream acceptance phase is now seeing past mistakes being whitewashed, though some oppose the idea.
A crypto executive who was once in legal trouble is now free to go to important events in the U.S. with powerful business and political leaders.
The moment itself carries strong symbolism indicating how quickly credibility and access can be rebuilt in the industry. At the same time, his company now has a lot of power over a stablecoin that is linked to a politically connected business, which gives it a lot of financial weight.
Market participants are now eyeing any key announcements, deal or partnership updates from the event, which could shape the future of the crypto landscape.