Author: Wen Shijun

Editor: Sun Chunfang

In May 2025, Paris, France, in broad daylight, a violent incident occurred on the street:

On the narrow sidewalk of the 11th arrondissement of Paris, a woman lying on the ground was screaming for help, while her husband tightly held her and shielded her from the attackers, covered in blood. Three masked assailants were trying to drag the woman into a white van marked with a delivery company logo.

This was in the city center of Paris, on the densely populated right bank of the Seine River, where some pedestrians were already on the streets at 8 AM. Some people stopped to watch and quickly sensed something was wrong. A few began to attempt to intervene, with one brave individual grabbing a red fire extinguisher and charging directly at the attackers. Realizing the situation was dire, the three assailants hurriedly let go and scattered, jumping into the van and fleeing the scene.

This was an attempted kidnapping that took place on the streets of Paris last Tuesday. The woman the assailants attempted to kidnap is the daughter of Pierre Noize, co-founder and CEO of the French cryptocurrency trading platform Paymium, and she is currently five months pregnant.

The astronomical wealth created by cryptocurrencies, combined with their inherent anonymity and difficulty in tracking, makes them particularly suitable for ransom, turning cryptocurrency executives and their families into "mobile ATMs" in the eyes of criminals.

Related cases have occurred multiple times in various countries around the world. Just earlier this month, the father of a cryptocurrency executive was kidnapped in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, and although French police rescued the victim two days later, he lost a finger.

For Zhao Changpeng, the founder of Binance, who once became the richest person among the global Chinese community and is still the richest person in Canada, this incident is particularly resonant. The day after the event, this cryptocurrency mogul, whose net worth is currently $30.2 billion (¥217.7 billion), reposted the news on social media with a brief comment:

“Stay safe out there.”

The "Silence" After Prison, Just to Wait for This Day

Cryptocurrency moguls are not only "cash cows" for criminals.

In May last year, after promising to pay billions in settlement (the highest amount since the founding of the United States), Zhao Changpeng was still sentenced to four months in prison in the U.S. — which was considered a "victory," as U.S. federal prosecutors had sought a three-year sentence.

After being released on September 28 last year, he posted "gm" (Good Morning) on social media, and those two letters garnered 19.48 million views. For a while afterward, Zhao Changpeng kept a relatively low profile. His "silence" even led to the emergence of fake accounts and AI-generated fake videos imitating him on social media.

As part of a plea agreement with the U.S., Zhao Changpeng resigned as CEO of Binance and promised not to participate in any Binance activities for three years. On November 6, the day the U.S. election results were announced, Zhao Changpeng again posted "gm" on social media. At this point, those two letters carried more meaning, such as "Great Moment."

With the new U.S. government's attitude toward cryptocurrencies becoming more transparent, Zhao Changpeng's public activities and statements on social media gradually increased — he has now returned to posting dozens of tweets a day and no longer shies away from directly mentioning Binance.

Not long ago, in early May, Zhao Changpeng accepted a rare face-to-face interview with an online media outlet. In this interview, he discussed his "lessons":

"I used to be indifferent to geopolitical issues, but now I deeply realize that the influence of political agendas has already permeated individual lives and can even lead to imprisonment. With this lesson, I now act more cautiously. After being released, I spent several months fully resting, canceling all activities, and gradually re-engaging in social affairs after some time."

Selling Out Sun Yuchen? "Witness" Rumors Draw Attention

As a benchmark figure in the cryptocurrency field, it is difficult for Zhao Changpeng to truly remain uninvolved amidst the surging waves of money and desire.

In early April this year, several foreign media outlets reported that Zhao Changpeng had been trying to push the Trump administration for a pardon. Reports also cited insiders saying that as part of the plea agreement, Zhao Changpeng provided evidence of Sun Yuchen's illegal activities to U.S. prosecutors and agreed to testify.

Sun Yuchen is also an important figure in the cryptocurrency field and one of those who achieved "financial freedom" through cryptocurrencies. Compared to Zhao Changpeng's astonishing wealth, Sun Yuchen is labeled as a "master of hype and marketing" in the crypto circle, having once bid for a lunch with Warren Buffett, "rescued" Trump's cryptocurrency project, and purchased Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's installation art "Comedian" (a banana taped to a wall) for $6.2 million (¥44.73 million), eating it live on stream.

Zhao Changpeng quickly responded to the news of him "selling out" Sun Yuchen, stating, "They seem to have forgotten who went to prison and who didn't. Those who become government witnesses do not go to prison but are protected," and mentioned that someone was paying to "smear me."

Thus, Zhao Changpeng's appearance in the interview in early May was seen by some as an attempt to personally clarify unfavorable news. When asked about media reports claiming he "sold out other cryptocurrency founders to reduce his sentence," Zhao Changpeng criticized the shortcomings of traditional media. He believed that "the previous party (Democrats) losing the election" indicated that "people no longer believe those articles."

Moreover, Zhao Changpeng wields the "weapon" of social media: "Although these negative reports are still annoying, at least we have our own platform to express our true views." His confidence comes from his personal account on X, which has 10 million followers — the official account of the White House has only 1.89 million followers. Zhao Changpeng said, "My followers may outnumber most politicians, and Elon (Musk) has even more followers, while President Trump has even more."

However, to completely quell this wave of public opinion, Zhao Changpeng has not said enough. As of now, he has not firmly denied the core controversy, such as "I have never provided evidence."

Roommate is a Double Murderer Sentenced to 30 Years

As the richest prisoner in U.S. history, Zhao Changpeng's life in prison has always intrigued the public. He rarely discusses this unique experience.

Remarkably, in the May interview, Zhao Changpeng specifically recalled this experience: "It was really hard to endure at that time." "Although I have a strong ability to withstand pressure and a relatively calm personality, the situation at that time truly made it difficult for me to move forward."

"In prison, no one cares who you are; you are just treated as an ordinary prisoner." Zhao Changpeng said he was not treated specially in prison: "For example, I experienced strip searches, had to show my buttocks, and was locked in a cell. My first roommate was a double murderer."

Zhao Changpeng recalled that this roommate was sentenced to 30 years for killing two people in one incident and had already served 12 years. "Because the prison groups inmates by race, Asians and Pacific Islanders, along with Native Americans, were grouped together, so I lived with this Native American roommate for a few weeks, but we got along very well." "But going through all this was really not fun; it was scary, and I was very afraid at that time."

Zhao Changpeng's description resembles scenes from movies depicting U.S. federal prisons: the cell block has three levels, with two rows of cells facing each other, and in the middle is an activity area for 240 inmates. "As soon as you walk in, you see many big guys with tattoos, tattoos on their faces and heads, shouting at each other, looking very fierce."

Zhao Changpeng vividly remembers the first scene of entering prison: "The guard told me my cell was A5 on the first floor. I walked over to try to open the door, but found it was locked. A big guy came over and told me that the door needed to be opened by the guard."

Zhao Changpeng was not "bullied" in prison. He said, "These prisoners look fierce, but they are actually very polite and friendly. Upon deeper contact, you will find that each of them has a gentle side. I got along very well with my cellmates and the guards."

"You can make friends anywhere, and there are good people everywhere. Some people indeed made mistakes, but the punishment is too harsh; it is excessive punishment." He even made friends in prison: "I still keep in touch with some who are still serving their sentences."

Insights After Prison: Health First, Then Family

In fact, during his time in prison, Zhao Changpeng was most worried about whether he would be able to gain freedom as scheduled after his four-month sentence:

"I was always worried that they would find some random reason to keep me for a few more months or even add extra charges. Many prisoners have encountered such situations." Zhao Changpeng later realized that this was a psychological issue arising from the high-pressure environment of prison: "If I had been clearly told from the beginning, 'You will only be locked up for four months,' I would have thought, 'Okay, I can get through it.' But inside, there are too many uncertainties, which is very anxiety-inducing."

The four months of life behind bars also influenced Zhao Changpeng's values: "I realized what is most important — health first, then family, and only then work and other matters."

Zhao Changpeng said, "In prison, you don't miss gourmet food, and you don't think too much about a comfortable bed, but you definitely worry about your family. You don't miss money or work, although resigning as CEO of Binance did make me feel sad."

In November 2023, as part of the plea agreement, Richard Teng, who has a regulatory background in Singapore, succeeded Zhao Changpeng as CEO of Binance. Singapore has a relatively open attitude toward cryptocurrencies and was once a "safe haven" for cryptocurrency businesses.

Zhao Changpeng is the biggest beneficiary of the cryptocurrency boom. In 2014, he sold his house in Shanghai and invested heavily in Bitcoin. In 2017, he founded Binance and served as CEO, becoming the richest person among the global Chinese community four years later.

Zhao Changpeng resides mainly in the UAE. In October 2021, he purchased a 1,077.68 square meter apartment with six bedrooms in Dubai for $13.5 million. In November 2023, Zhao Changpeng "voluntarily" went to the U.S. for anti-money laundering and related investigations but was subsequently prohibited from leaving the U.S. until the end of his sentence in late September last year, when he was able to return to his home in the UAE.

In the May interview, Zhao Changpeng mentioned that he generally works from home, specifically from his bed: "If I sit for too long, my back will hurt, so I have a laptop stand for use in bed."

Currently, Zhao Changpeng's social media profile picture features him in traditional Arab attire: a pure white robe with a black cord holding down a white headscarf — covering his distinctive heart-shaped hairline.

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