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☆ 5 things to know before the stock market Monday, May 6
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Michele Luhn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Feeling optimisticStock futures were higher Monday after ending last week on a positive note in light of a weaker-than-expected jobs report. Last week, the Dow and Nasdaq rose 1.1% and 1.4%, respectively, while the S&P 500 added 0.5%. Buffett's back, all rightWarren Buffett speaks during the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 4, 2024. During the meeting, Buffett also fielded questions from shareholders, opined on the future of artificial intelligence and praised Fed Chair Jerome Powell for his work steering the economy. Final verdictCombination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance.

Persons: Joseph Prezioso, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Buffett, Greg Abel, Jerome Powell, Sam Bankman, Zhao Changpeng, Mike Segar, Benjamin Girette, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Justin Sullivan Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Traders, Federal Reserve, Disney, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Berkshire, CNBC, Oracle, Berkshire Hathaway's, Paramount, Reuters, Bloomberg Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, Omaha, San Rafael , California

☆ From 25 years in prison to just four months: Inside the final verdict on a crypto billionaire CEO archrivalry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Combination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance. A month earlier, on the opposite coast in downtown Manhattan, FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried received a 25-year prison sentence for his crimes. At the beginning of his trial, SBF sported a fresh haircut and wore suits, but by its end, his curls were wild again. Cryptocurrency exchange Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao speaks at a Binance fifth anniversary event in Paris, France, July 8, 2022. watch nowMoney makes all the differenceUnlike SBF, CZ didn't have his wealth wiped out by bankruptcy of the crypto company he founded.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Zhao Changpeng, Mike Segar, Benjamin Girette, Changpeng Zhao, FTX's Sam Bankman, Fried, Zhao, Binance's Zhao, FTX's, Toyotas, Braden Perry, Perry, Manfred, SBF, Michael Lewis, Lewis, Sam didn't, Amr Alfiky, Sam, Caroline Ellison, —, Zhao's, Yi He, Binance, David Ryder, Yang, Rachel Zhao, Yesha Yadav, Yadav, Mark Bini, Lewis Kaplan, Bankman, Kaplan, perjured, Neama Rahmani, Rahmani, Tre Lovell, Zhao hasn't, Lovell, weren't, FTX Organizations: Reuters, Bloomberg, Getty, Department of Justice, CFTC, Stanford University's, Bankman, CZ, Staff, Reuters Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Vanderbilt University, Wall Street, CNBC, FTX, Emergency Economic, Justice Department, DOJ Locations: Seattle, Manhattan, California, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Palo Alto, U.S, New York City, Alameda, Seattle , Washington, Paris, France, Angeles, Binance, Dubai, Delaware

☆ Philippines orders removal of Binance from Google and Apple app stores
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Philippines' Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ordered Google and Apple to remove cryptocurrency exchange Binance from their app stores. In a press release out on Tuesday, the regulator said it had sent letters to Google and Apple requesting the removal of applications controlled by Binance from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, respectively. The agency accused Binance of offering unregistered securities to Filipinos and operating as an unregistered broker, adding that this violates the country's securities laws. Binance, Google, and Apple were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC. Aquino said that blocking Binance from the Google and Apple app stores would help "prevent the further proliferation of its illegal activities in the country, and to protect the investing public from its detrimental effects on our economy."

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Emilio Aquino, Aquino Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Google, Apple, Binance, CNBC Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Philippines, Philippine

Details of the medical procedure were also blacked out in the letter, which noted that federal prosecutors had not consented to Zhao's request. Jones held a closed hearing on the request on Dec. 29, and denied Zhao's bid to travel, court records show. Jones earlier in December rejected another request to allow Zhao to travel to the UAE. The judge said Zhao's "enormous wealth" made him a significant flight risk. His family resides in the UAE and it appears that he has favored status in the UAE," Jones wrote in a six-page order on Dec. 7.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Changpeng, Richard Jones, Zhao, Judge Jones, Jones, Zhao's Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, United Arab Emirates, Jan Locations: Porte, Paris, France, U.S, Seattle, Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States

☆ Heroes to zeroes in 12 months: How the two biggest crypto billionaire CEOs proved the critics right
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-30 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Combination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance. Meanwhile, Solana is nearly 10x higher in the last 12 months, and bitcoin miner Marathon Digital has also skyrocketed. That same year, Bankman-Fried earned street cred in crypto circles for his bitcoin arbitrage trading strategy, dubbed the Kimchi swap. The relationship between Zhao and Bankman-Fried began to sour a few months after they met. In Nov. 2022, a fight between Bankman-Fried and CZ on Twitter, now known as X, pulled the mask off the scheme.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Zhao Changpeng, Bitcoin, Solana, Binance's, Zhao, FTX's Sam Bankman, Fried, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, bitcoin, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Elizabeth Warren, execs, Renato Mariotti, Michael Lewis, Sam, gunning, Lewis, SBF, Binance, FTX, Goldman Sachs, General Merrick Garland, Garland, Amr Alfiky Organizations: Marathon, JPMorgan, Microsoft, Capitol, Department of Justice, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, CZ, Alameda Research, Formula, Democratic, Twitter, Emergency Economic, U.S ., Futures Trading Commission, Treasury Department, Securities, Exchange Commission, Justice Department, DOJ, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, Singapore, Bankman, FTX, Miami, Washington, Alameda, U.S, New York City

Coinbase has the added benefit of having survived the so-called crypto winter, while so many of its rivals disappeared or downsized. Combination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance. With assets of more than $65 billion on the platform, Binance remains the world's largest crypto exchange globally. watch nowBoth Coinbase and Binance still face legal battles with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was noticeably absent from the Binance settlement. Regulatory approval would open up many more avenues for people to buy bitcoin.

Persons: Brian Armstrong, Carlos Jasso, Coinbase, Sam Bankman, FTX, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Zhao, CoinGecko, Mizuho, it's, CNBC's Joumanna, Armstrong, Bittrex, JPMorgan Chase, Franklin Templeton Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Bloomberg, Getty, Tech, Reuters, Justice Department, CNBC, Mizuho, Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S, SEC, JPMorgan, WisdomTree Locations: U.S, Binance, Needham, BlackRock, WisdomTree

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - Former Binance chief Changpeng Zhao must stay in the United States for the time being, a federal judge said on Monday, after the founder of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange pleaded guilty to violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws. U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle said he would review whether Zhao should have to stay in the United States after the U.S. government appealed a decision by another judge allowing Zhao to return to the UAE before his Feb. 23 sentencing hearing. Last week, Zhao conceded: "I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility." The government had said it may be unable to secure Zhao's return to the United States given it has no extradition treaty with the UAE. Lawyers for Zhao disputed that he was a potential flight risk, noting that he paid a "substantial" bail package and voluntarily came to the United States to accept responsibility for his actions.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Benoit Tessier, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Richard Jones, Chris Prentice, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, United Arab, District, U.S, UAE, Binance Holdings, Justice, Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, United States, Seattle, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Binance, New York, Washington

☆ Ex-Binance CEO Zhao urges judge to allow him to leave the U.S. before sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lawyers for former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao are urging a U.S. judge to reject the Justice Department's request to bar him from returning to his home in the United Arab Emirates until he is sentenced for violating anti-money laundering requirements. Zhao's lawyers in a Thursday filing asked U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle not to reverse bail conditions set by a magistrate judge on Tuesday that would allow him to leave the U.S. while awaiting sentencing. The Justice Department has asked Jones by Monday to reverse a decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida to allow Zhao to return home to the UAE ahead of his Feb. 23 sentencing after he agreed to release him on a $175 million bail bond. Allowing Zhao to return to the UAE would allow him to take care of his partner and three children and prepare them for his sentencing, defense lawyers argued. "In the vast majority of cases, a multi-billionaire defendant who has pleaded guilty, faces possible prison time, and lives in a country that does not extradite its citizens to the United States would be detained," Justice Department lawyers said.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Changpeng Zhao, Richard Jones, Zhao, Jones, Brian Tsuchida Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, United Arab Emirates, U.S, District, Islamic, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Justice Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Seattle, U.S, UAE, Canada, Binance, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, United States

Zhao's lawyers in a Thursday filing asked U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle not to reverse bail conditions set by a magistrate judge on Tuesday that would allow him to leave the U.S. while awaiting sentencing. Zhao, a citizen of the UAE and Canada, stepped down as CEO of Binance on Tuesday after pleading guilty to willfully causing the global cryptocurrency exchange to fail to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. Allowing Zhao to return to the UAE would allow him to take care of his partner and three children and prepare them for his sentencing, defense lawyers argued. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Benoit Tessier, Changpeng Zhao, Richard Jones, Zhao, Jones, Brian Tsuchida, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, United Arab Emirates, U.S, District, Islamic, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Justice, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, Seattle, U.S, UAE, Canada, Binance, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, Boston

Zhao's lawyers in a Thursday filing asked U.S. District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle not to reverse bail conditions set by a magistrate judge on Tuesday that would allow him to leave the U.S. while awaiting sentencing. Zhao, a citizen of the UAE and Canada, stepped down as CEO of Binance on Tuesday after pleading guilty to willfully causing the global cryptocurrency exchange to fail to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. Allowing Zhao to return to the UAE would allow him to take care of his partner and three children and prepare them for his sentencing, defense lawyers argued. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Zhao Changpeng, founder and chief executive officer of Binance greets the audience during an event in Athens, Greece, November 25, 2022. "Today, I stepped down as CEO of Binance," Zhao tweeted. Binance became the world's biggest crypto exchange within six months. As Binance hired more widely from traditional financial and regulatory worlds, Zhao's tight control over his company was undiminished. Richard Teng, a senior Binance executive who joined in 2021, is the new CEO, Zhao posted on social media on Tuesday.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Costas Baltas, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Prosecutors, Tuesday's, General Merrick Garland, Yi, Richard Teng, Teng, Tom Wilson, Lisa Shumaker, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Justice Department, Binance, New York Times, U.S, Reuters, Futures Trading Commission, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Binance, Binance ., Shanghai, China, Canada, Tokyo, New York, London

Zhao Changpeng, founder and chief executive officer of Binance, speaks at the Blockchain Week Summit in Paris, France, on Wednesday, April 13, 2022. Binance chief Changpeng Zhao will plead guilty to criminal charges and step down as the company's CEO as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice, according to court documents. The plea arrangement with the government resolves a multi-year investigation into the world's largest crypto exchange. The Securities and Exchange Commission targeted the company with an expansive lawsuit in June, alleging that Binance was running an illegal securities exchange and mishandling customer funds. To this day, Binance remains the world's largest crypto exchange globally, processing billions of dollars in trading volume every year.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Brian Tsuchida, Binance, Kraken, Gary Gensler, wasn't, Samuel Lim, —, ada, Kevin Breuninger Organizations: Department of Justice, Justice Department, DOJ, Emergency Economic, U.S, CNBC, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Binance, Authority Locations: Paris, France, U.S, Seattle, Iran, Cayman Islands

☆ Binance chief will admit violating US laws as part of $4 billion deal to resolve probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Zhao Changpeng, founder and chief executive officer of Binance speaks during an event in Athens, Greece, November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Binance Holdings Ltd FollowNEW YORK, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Binance Holdings chief Changpeng Zhao will admit violating U.S. laws as part of a deal to resolve a U.S. probe into illicit finance breaches, according to a source familiar with matter. The deal between a number of U.S. agencies and the world's largest crypto exchange will also involve charges against Binance's former compliance chief Samuel Lim, the source said. The deal will include penalties on the firm of over $4 billion, including $3.4 billion from U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and another $968 million from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, another source familiar with the matter said. Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Costas Baltas, Changpeng Zhao, Samuel Lim, Chris Prentice, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, Binance Holdings, Treasury's, Network, Foreign Assets Control, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, U.S

As token prices plummeted last year, the sector saw other stunning meltdowns that put several industry moguls into authorities' crosshairs. Changpeng "CZ" ZhaoThe U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Binance and its CEO Zhao in June for allegedly operating "a web of deception." Kwon faces multiple charges of fraud in the U.S. and was arrested in Montenegro earlier this year for allegedly forging documents, authorities said. He has pleaded not guilty to U.S. fraud charges that he misled customers and artificially inflated the value of his company's proprietary crypto token. Barry SilbertSilbert is the boss of crypto group Digital Currency Group whose subsidiary Genesis Global Capital filed for bankruptcy in January.

Persons: Zhao Changpeng, Binance, Costas Baltas, Sam Bankman, Fried, he's, Zhao, Kwon, Luna, Terraform, Alex Mashinsky, Mashinsky, Barry Silbert Silbert, Letitia James, Silbert, Stephen Ehrlich Stephen Ehrlich's, Ehrlich, Justin Sun, Sun, Niket Nishant, Hannah Lang, Michelle Price, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Zhao, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Korean, Terraform Labs, Montenegrin, Mashinsky, CFTC, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Digital Currency Group, Genesis Global Capital, New York, FTC, Tron Foundation, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, China, Canada, U.S, Montenegro, New York

☆ Binance CEO reaffirms support for Voyager deal amid SEC pushback
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Zhao Changpeng, founder and chief executive officer of Binance, at the Viva Technology conference in Paris, France June 16, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierMarch 3 (Reuters) - Binance Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao on Friday reiterated support for the exchange's U.S. partner to acquire Voyager Digital, after an earlier tweet indicated he was weighing walking away from the offer. Voyager, a crypto lender which went bankrupt last year, signed an agreement to be acquired by Binance.US in December. But the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the New York Department of Financial Services later opposed the deal. "We are still in support of the deal and helping returning funds to users as quickly as possible, if allowed to do so," Zhao tweeted.

Prime Trust made $650 million in wire transfer deposits into the Binance.US account during the quarter, the bank records show. The Binance global exchange, Binance CEO Zhao and Prime Trust did not respond to detailed questions about the transfers. Among the dealers on Binance.US was Merit Peak, according to company messages, the trading firm managed by CEO Zhao. From January to March 2021, the account records show that Merit Peak received 89 transfers from the Binance.US SEN account totalling $404 million. These transfers often immediately followed a deposit into the Binance.US account by Prime Trust, the crypto custodian firm for Binance.US client funds.

☆ Crypto exchange Binance plans 15%-30% hiring spree in 2023 even as rivals slash jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Zhao said Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said the company increased head count in 2022 from 3,000 people to "almost" 8,000. In 2023, Binance plans to increase the number of staff by between 15% and 30%, Zhao said at the Crypto Finance Conference in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Zhao said Binance needs to get the company "well-organized" ahead of the next crypto bull run and admitted the exchange is "not super efficient." The industry was plagued last year by collapses of major projects, liquidity issues, bankruptcies and the high-profile failure of crypto exchange FTX. Binance had a big role to play in FTX's collapse.

[1/2] Zhao Changpeng, founder and chief executive officer of Binance speaks during an event in Athens, Greece, November 25, 2022. REUTERS/Costas BaltasATHENS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Binance Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao said on Friday regulation rather than opposition of the crypto sector is a better option for world governments as digital currencies become more mainstream. Regulation of crypto currencies has come into sharp focus following the collapse of several platforms, culminating in the crash of the FTX currency exchange earlier this month. It's better to regulate the industry instead of trying to fight against it," Zhao said, speaking at a Binance event in Athens. Asked whether he saw countries adding crypto currencies such as Bitcoin to their reserves in the future, Zhao said he expected countries to start, particularly those which did not have their own currency.

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