Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, holds a significant portion of the circulating Binance Coin (BNB) supply. According to a recent report by Forbes, CZ owns approximately 64% of the circulating BNB tokens, which translates to roughly 94 million tokens. This substantial stake is a testament to his influence within the company and the cryptocurrency market.

The report highlights that 80 million BNB tokens were initially allocated to the Binance founding team, with the company still controlling 46 million of these original tokens. Additionally, Binance and CZ jointly hold 71% of the 147 million BNB in circulation. This significant ownership stake has contributed to CZ's impressive net worth, estimated to be around $61 billion, making him the 24th richest individual globally.

BNB is the native token of the Binance exchange, used for various purposes such as fees and rewards on the platform. The token has a maximum supply of 200 million, with over 153 million tokens currently in circulation. At its current market price of $593 per token, the market capitalization of BNB stands at over $91 billion. The token has experienced a significant price increase, more than doubling its value from around $290 in January 2024 to a high of $724 in June.

CZ's significant stake in Binance Coin is not without controversy. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced indictments against CZ and Binance for allegedly violating sanctions and money laundering laws. CZ entered into a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors, pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and agreeing to step down from his leadership role at Binance. The settlement included fines of $50 million for CZ and a $4.3 billion fine for Binance. Furthermore, the DOJ appointed the Forensic Risk Alliance to act as a monitor for Binance over the next three years. In April 2024, CZ was sentenced to four months in prison by U.S. federal judge Richard Jones, a sentence significantly shorter than the three years recommended by U.S. prosecutors for his alleged role in violating sanctions and facilitating money laundering.