Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance (CRYPTO: BNB), disagreed with Forbes’ estimate of his wealth on Tuesday.
CZ Says Wealth Doesn’t Matter
Zhao, popularly referred to as CZ, responded to an X post about his net worth surpassing $87 billion, ranking him 21st in the world, according to Forbes. In real time, the wealth has exceeded $92 billion.
“I don’t believe this is accurate (way too high). I also don’t think it matters,” CZ said. “What matters is how many people we can help, and by how much.”
Forbes didn’t immediately return Benzinga’s request for comment.
See Also: How Rich Are You? Here’s The Net Worth That Defines Upper, Middle, and Lower Class
Jump In Fortune Following BNB Highs?
Zhao founded Binance in 2017, which has since grown to become the world’s largest cryptocurrency trading platform. According to Forbes, he owns an estimated 90% of the exchange plus a significant stash of its BNB tokens.
Earlier this year, he revealed that BNB made up over 98% of his cryptocurrency portfolio, with only 1.32% allocated toward Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC). Notably, BNB hit a new all-time high on Tuesday.
The Ups And Downs
CZ was awarded a four-month prison sentence for anti-money laundering violations last year. He paid a $50 million fine and resigned as CEO of Binance.
His imprisonment made headlines as he was one of the wealthiest individuals to have ever served time in a U.S. federal prison. At the time of his sentencing, he was the 34th richest person in the world, with a net worth exceeding $40 billion.
As of this writing, he remains the wealthiest person in the cryptocurrency industry.
Price Action: At the time of writing, BNB was exchanging hands at $1,282.36, up 1.92% in the last 24 hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Year-to-date, the coin has skyrocketed 81%.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
