Statue of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao to be unveiled in Washington
A group of anonymous supporters has commissioned a gilded statue of Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, to be installed temporarily in Washington, D.C., according to Cryptopolitan.
The 4.3-meter-tall monument, funded by $50,000 in private donations, depicts Zhao making his signature hand gesture of four raised fingers—a symbol commonly associated with rejecting fear and doubt within the crypto community. The statue will be on public display for several hours before being either gifted to Zhao or sold at auction to benefit his nonprofit educational initiative, Giggle Academy.
Organizers said the statue’s creation took approximately four weeks. Project leader Nick Zee stated that the effort was motivated by recent misinformation campaigns targeting Binance, as well as the renewed optimism surrounding the company following the rise in its native token, BNB. He also described U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent pardon of Zhao as “the cherry on top.”
The initiative follows a growing trend among cryptocurrency enthusiasts to commemorate prominent figures within the industry. Last month, a golden statue of Trump holding a Bitcoin was unveiled in Washington. As part of the latest campaign, supporters also launched a meme token named CZSTATUE, which reached a market capitalization exceeding $577,000 at the time of reporting.
Trump’s decision to pardon Zhao has faced criticism from Senator Elizabeth Warren, who labeled the move “an act of corruption.” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt countered that the prior Biden administration’s attempt to secure a three-year prison sentence for Zhao had damaged the United States’ image as a global technology leader.
Zhao pleaded guilty in 2024 to violating anti–money laundering regulations and subsequently served a four-month prison sentence before being pardoned.
