BNB crypto, the token that powers both the BNB Smart Chain and Binance, has just reached a new all-time high of $858 after more than a year of sideways trading. BNB surged 6% overnight, reaching its highest price point since its launch in 2017.

Its 30%+ July rally has catapulted BNB back into the crypto top five by market cap, overtaking Solana after weeks of jostling, according to CoinGecko. BNB is now valued at $117 billion, just behind Tether (USDT) in fourth with $163 billion.

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Nobody Has Benefitted More From BNB Crypto New All-Time High Than Binance Founder, CZ

The recent bullish price action of the BNB cryptocurrency has significantly increased the estimated net worth of Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, although the exact figure remains unknown.

According to a 2024 forensic analysis by Forbes, the 48-year-old crypto mogul controls approximately 64% of BNB’s circulating supply, which amounts to about 90 million tokens. This alone places his net worth around $75 billion at current prices.

In addition to his BNB holdings, CZ also has a 90% stake in Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, which the Bloomberg Billionaires Index values at $60 billion. A smaller, yet noteworthy part of his wealth is associated with his asset management company, YZI Labs.

Previously known as Binance Labs, CZ rebranded the entity to YZI Labs at the beginning of 2025, focusing on investments in startup projects within the Web3, AI, and biotech sectors.

YZI Labs reportedly manages over $10 billion in assets and was co-founded by CZ and his wife, Ella Zhang, in 2018. With the recent rebranding, CZ announced that YZI Labs would operate as a “family office.”

While it remains unverified, when combined with his equity stake in Binance, Zhao’s fortune could exceed $100 billion. This would place him alongside prominent tycoons like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and even the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Blockchain analytics platform Arkham estimates that Satoshi controls approximately 1.1 million Bitcoins, or about 5.2% of the total supply, which is now worth around $130 billion at current BTC prices. If these holdings remain untouched, Nakamoto would rank as the twelfth richest person in the world.

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Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance in November 2023 and subsequently served a four-month sentence in April 2024 after pleading guilty to violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws.

The exchange paid $4.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures for various violations, and it agreed to a five-year compliance monitoring arrangement with the consulting firm Forensic Risk Alliance and the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.

With a dramatic shift in crypto policy under President Donald Trump, crypto firms like Binance may be looking to return to the U.S. market. In May, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) formally dropped its civil case against both Zhao and Binance, marking the last major action from the SEC’s previous administration.

Additionally, the Department of Justice has disbanded its crypto enforcement task force. Ongoing investigations into Coinbase, Kraken, and other firms have also been paused or dropped, indicating a significant shift in the SEC’s regulatory approach.

Binance now appears to be quietly positioning itself for a return to the U.S. market, reportedly holding meetings with Treasury officials and exploring partnerships with politically connected crypto firms.

Next Stop For BNB Crypto: $1,000?

BNB crypto has been one of the top major cap performers this year, with a 20% increase from January 1 until now and a new all-time high

(COINGECKO)

With a fresh all-time high reached after seven months, the next logical step for BNB crypto appears to be the $1,000 level. It is a figure that CZ himself has often teased for BNB, even during its days as a double-digit token, highlighting his belief in the token from the outset.

BNB is now in price discovery mode, a term used to describe a token that has reached a new all-time high and lacks a price history or previous patterns to work from a technical analysis perspective. Due to this, BNB crypto could potentially get a value as high as the current market conditions and demand for the token allow.

It is less than 20% away from that coveted $1,000 level, which seems easily attainable for a leading altcoin that has shown incredible strength as we head deeper into this current bull market.

Once Bitcoin makes its next leg up and Ethereum finally breaches $4,000, coupled with Bitcoin Dominance (BTC.D) losing its 60% level, this will likely prove to be the catalyst to send the altcoin market into overdrive.

Once that happens, BNB crypto is likely to be one of the biggest beneficiaries, as it attempts to overtake Solana as the fifth-largest digital asset by market capitalization.

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Alex Ioannou
Alex Ioannou
On-Chain Journalist

Alex is a seasoned cryptocurrency trader and market analyst with over seven years of active experience in the digital asset space. Since entering the markets in 2017, Alex has specialized in identifying emerging "meta" trends and high-volatility narratives. Notably, Alex... Read More

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