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Changpeng “CZ” Zhao became a household name in the cryptocurrency sector after founding Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange. Following a series of legal and regulatory challenges that culminated in a prison sentence, Zhao has authored an autobiography recounting his rise — and subsequent fallout.

The 364-page manuscript, titled Freedom of Money, presents a first-person account of Zhao’s life and career. The foreword is written by Yi He, a Binance co-founder who has worked with Zhao since 2014.

Zhao writes that his story has been shaped by media coverage, court filings and public commentary. He describes the book as an account intended to provide additional context to those narratives.

Throughout the memoir, Zhao emphasizes the human dimension behind Binance’s rapid ascent — and his personal and professional downfall — which he argues has been lost in soundbite-driven coverage.

The memoir covers his early life and career in finance and technology, as well as the founding of Binance in 2017. It outlines the company’s rapid growth into one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Regulatory failures and accountability

Zhao served a four-month prison sentence in the United States in 2024 after pleading guilty to violating US Anti-Money-Laundering laws, as part of a broader settlement with authorities that also required him to step down as Binance CEO.

The case marked a major enforcement action by the US Department of Justice, which had initially sought a longer sentence to reflect the severity of the violations. Binance, for its part, agreed to pay billions of dollars in penalties and implement sweeping compliance reforms.

US regulators had for years scrutinized Binance over alleged failures related to anti-money laundering controls, sanctions compliance and operating without proper licensing. The settlement effectively closed one of the most high-profile investigations in the crypto industry.

In the memoir, Zhao reflects on the decisions and missteps that led to these outcomes. He recounts the events surrounding the settlement, his guilty plea and his resignation, describing the tradeoffs made during Binance’s rapid growth.

The book also includes detailed descriptions of his time in federal prison, including the adjustment from leading a global company to living in a confined environment.

“Freedom of money”

The book’s title reflects a central theme of the memoir. Zhao describes the “freedom of money” as the idea that cryptocurrency can address barriers to financial access, particularly in countries with limited banking infrastructure or strict capital controls.

He links part of Binance’s growth to users in emerging markets who used the platform to move funds across borders, hedge against local currency volatility and access global financial markets.

Zhao also acknowledges that expanding access at scale introduced challenges. He writes that Binance’s rapid growth often outpaced regulatory frameworks, contributing to gaps in compliance and oversight that later drew scrutiny from authorities.

• On Tuesday, the World Liberty Financial ($WLFI) price plunged by approximately 4%, forcing its value to fall from $0.099 to $0.096.
• The drop follows a long consolidation phase in the crypto market, which kept major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum locked in a tight range,
• World Liberty Financial has attracted a new controversy due to its partnership with AB DAO, an Asia-based blockchain project.

On April 7, the World Liberty Financial ($WLFI) price, a DeFi project backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, plunged by over 4% following a downward trend in the overall crypto market.

According to CoinMarketCap, $WLFI is currently trading at around $0.09590 with a market capitalization of $3.04 billion. The daily trading volume currently stands at around $51.39 million.

World Liberty Financial ($WLFI) Drops Amid Fresh Controversy

There are various factors behind the drop in the cryptocurrency, though the main reasons behind the drop in the cryptocurrency price are connected to ongoing investor caution around regulatory scrutiny and the latest reports of token sales linked to sanctioned regions.

Congressional investigations have raised concerns over foreign stakes, including a reported $500 million with a UAE-affiliated firm and potential connections to high-risk wallets. These issues have created persistent sales pressure even as the project advances its core products.

At the same time, some experts mentioned treasury asset rotations from wrapped Bitcoin to wrapped Ethereum earlier in the year, which added to short-term supply dynamics.

(Source: TradingView)

While the overall crypto sector is stuck in the consolidation phase, technical indicators are also suggesting a cautious setup with small bearish signals. The Relative Strength Index on the daily chart revolves around 61, which shows weakening momentum without reaching extreme oversold conditions.

$WLFI price is well below the 50-day simple moving average, which is expected to act as resistance on any upside attempts. There is immediate support around $0.089 and resistance around $0.100 based on recent important levels. The token is stuck in a wide consolidation range after earlier declines, with lower highs visible on the daily timeframe.

Bollinger Bands are showing reduced volatility, which generally influences the market through a market catalyst. This shows that $WLFI may test lower support before any sustained recovery if buying volume does not increase.

There are many macroeconomic factors behind this drop, which is creating the selective pressure on tokens like $WLFI. The overall crypto market has shown mixed performance with many assets facing downward momentum from uncertainty around global interest rate ways and ongoing geopolitical developments. The ongoing war between the U.S. and Iran has created turbulence in the crypto market.

While Bitcoin has displayed great resilience, many altcoins have witnessed a small drop in their price. This is a clear sign that investors are staying away from volatile assets like crypto.

Despite the turmoil in the price of cryptocurrency, World Liberty Financial has witnessed steady growth. Recently, World Liberty Financial announced that its USD1 stablecoin now serves as the exclusive settlement asset for real-world asset perpetuals on Aster DEX, which covers commodities such as gold, silver, and crude oil.

USD-1-denominated perpetual markets have also gone live on Binance Wallet with low fees and incentives designed to boost utility and trading activity.

World Liberty Financial has come under fresh regulatory scrutiny following its partnership with AB DAO. This Asia-based blockchain project ran a flagship incentive that involved individuals who were later sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom over an alleged link to a major fraud network.

In repose, World Liberty Financial stated that it conducted proper due diligence and has no direct relationship with the sanctioned entities.