Binance names Richard Teng CEO amid Changpeng Zhao’s forced departure

Binance has named its head of regional markets outside of the U.S., Richard Teng, as its new CEO. The change comes as founder and former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has resigned and plead guilty to charges levied against him by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

As Cointelegraph reported earlier, CZ and Binance have agreed to a plea deal with the DOJ over alleged anti-money laundering violations. The resulting settlement will cost the company $4.3 billion dollars and, reportedly, bars CZ from serving as an executive at any cryptocurrency companies. He’ll also be on the hook for a $50 million dollar fine assessed directly to him. He won’t have to give up his shares, however, and will apparently serve no jail time.

Teng’s promotion was confirmed by former CEO CZ in a post on X coinciding with the start of a DOJ press event announcing the actions against Binance. 

According to CZ:

“Richard is a highly qualified leader and, with over three decades of financial services and regulatory experience, he will navigate the company through its next period of growth. He will ensure Binance delivers on our next phase of security, transparency, compliance, and growth.”

Teng also posted on X approximately 15 minutes after the DOJ presser went live.

In his first public communique as CEO, Teng sought to reassure Binance users and establish a clear path from the day’s events. He laid out three areas of focus for himself and the company, starting with “reassuring users that they can remain confident in the financial strength, security and safety of the company.”

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

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