TheBadPlaceyahoo news | Wall Street’s Two Most Powerful Men Endorse CZ’s Prison Memoir
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) unveiled his 366‑page memoir “Freedom of Money” on April 8, 2026. Written largely during his four‑month U.S. prison sentence in 2024, the book traces his journey from a modest upbringing in rural China to building the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange and navigating a $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The memoir is backed by two of Wall Street’s most influential figures: BlackRock chief Larry Fink, who praised CZ as an early mover in blockchain adoption, and Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio, who highlighted CZ’s rise from poverty to global impact and urged readers to learn from his story.
Fink’s endorsement frames the narrative around the transformative potential of digital assets, emphasizing that “digital assets and blockchain technology can unlock real opportunities for nations willing to embrace the future.” Dalio takes a more personal angle, calling CZ “a great admirer… for his bold contributions to making alternative monies accessible to almost everyone in the world.” The book also features a foreword by Binance co‑founder and co‑CEO Yi He, as well as endorsements from Bhutan’s king, Haidilao founder Zhang Yong, and early Bitcoin investor Matt Roszak. Their support arrives at a strategic moment: BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust now handles $16‑$18 billion of daily trading volume, directly competing with Binance for crypto liquidity, and BlackRock’s tokenized BUIDL fund was integrated as collateral on Binance in late 2025.
The launch, however, is shadowed by fresh compliance concerns. Bloomberg reported that Binance’s chief compliance officer Noah Perlman, a former federal prosecutor hired after the 2023 plea‑deal reforms, is discussing his departure, and Fortune revealed that Binance dismissed at least five compliance investigators who had uncovered $1 billion in transfers to Iran‑linked entities between March 2024 and August 2025. Senator Richard Blumenthal has opened a Senate inquiry, and nine Senate Democrats have called on the DOJ and Treasury to investigate. While Binance denies any sanctions‑law violations and found “no evidence” of wrongdoing, all royalties from the memoir will be donated to CZ’s education nonprofit Giggle Academy, underscoring the contrast between charitable pledges and the high‑profile backing from the world’s most powerful asset managers.
