Key Facts

• Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, the 49-year-old founder of Binance, is the dominant shareholder of both Binance's global exchange and Binance.US, but he denies being involved in the day-to-day operations of either company.
• CZ wants to boost the profile of Binance.US in the US by tapping into the global exchange's liquidity, which he believes will lead to a better market experience for US crypto traders, with lower costs and improved prices.
• In a lengthy interview with CoinDesk in Washington, D.C., CZ stated that he prefers to informally advise companies he's invested in, rather than taking on a formal leadership role or joining a board, and that his ideal role is to provide guidance to founders from the background.
• CZ's vision for Binance.US is to break the hold of a few leading exchanges on the US market and offer a lower-cost service, which he believes will help make the US the "capital of crypto" and bring more crypto services into America.
• Despite owning most of Binance and Binance.US, CZ said he doesn't handle everyday business at either company, and that they have separate leaderships, different investor groups, and operate independently, with Binance.US licensing the product and technology from Binance Global.