BNB tokens jump to record amid expectation of CZ pardon

[Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao To Reportedly Step Down And Plead Guilty In Seattle Court]
David Ryder

The BNB token (BNB-USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BNB-USD]), the token linked to crypto exchange Binance, surged to a record high of ~$1,083 on Sunday as speculation grew that President Donald Trump would pardon Binance's co-founder, Changpeng Zhao, familiarly known as CZ.

The odds of CZ being pardoned spiked to 64% on Sept. 13, before pulling back to ~48% on Monday morning, according to trading on prediction market Polymarket. Along with the retreat in the odds for a pardon, BNB token's (BNB-USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BNB-USD]) price fell to $1,019 in Monday morning trading.

The former Binance CEO served a four-month prison sentence [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4096718-binance-founder-changpeng-zhao-ordered-to-spend-four-months-in-prison]last year under a $4.3B settlemen [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4039267-binance-founder-and-ceo-zhao-to-step-down-plead-guilty-report]t with U.S. authorities. In May, CZ said he would request a pardon from Trump.

The regulatory environment for digital tokens has brightened significantly since Trump took office in January, as his administration embraces and seeks to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world. "Rumors of CZ's possible pardon fuel further speculation," Patrick Horsman, co-founder of Build and Build told [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-22/binance-linked-token-hits-record-with-spotlight-on-zhao-pardon?srnd=homepage-americas]Bloomberg News.

In addition, CZ's X account changed his bio [https://x.com/cz_binance] to @Binance from ex-@Binance, which some see as a signal that Zhao will be returning to the crypto exchange.

"The market believes that a pardon could help CZ, Binance, and BNB clear most regulatory concerns,” Amanda He, chief investment officer at ChainUp Investment, which supports token creation on BNB Chain, told Bloomberg.

MORE ON BINANCE COIN USD

* Nano Labs boosts BNB holdings to 128,000 tokens [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4472623-nano-labs-boosts-bnb-holdings-to-128000-tokens]
* Binance helped create Trump-tied stablecoin before founder CZ's pardon bid - report [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4466822-binance-helped-create-trump-tied-stablecoin-before-founder-czs-pardon-bid---report]
* Financial information for Binance Coin USD [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BNB-USD/income-statement]