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12 Mar 2026, 05:00

Binance Founder Now Richer Than Bill Gates? CZ Reacts To $110B Net Worth Estimate

Binance co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao has reacted to Forbes’ estimate that ranked his net worth among the 20 richest people on the planet, surpassing figures such as Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg. Binance’s CZ Among 20 Richest People On Earth On Tuesday, Forbes estimated that Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, is “now richer than ever,” with his net worth skyrocketing to $110 billion, up $47 billion from last year, on the annual World’s Billionaires list. By February 10, 2026, Forbes’ real-time tracker listed CZ among the world’s richest individuals at $78.78 billion, while Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index placed his net worth around the $52.2 billion mark around the same time. According to the list’s latest calculations, Zhao is currently the 17th-wealthiest person on earth, ranking above Bill Gates, whose net worth is at $108 billion. In addition, he sits among the 20 people worth twelve figures. Forbes acknowledged the crypto market’s downturn, noting that some of his assets, including his estimated 1,400 BTC stash and BNB holdings, have dropped around 25% over the past year. However, they affirmed that the core of Zhao’s wealth remains Binance, citing it as the reason for his net worth’s surge despite the crypto market correction. Conversations with industry insiders and comparisons with other crypto exchanges, including the publicly traded Coinbase, suggest Binance—still the world’s largest crypto exchange, with roughly 38% market share—is worth around $100 billion, and legal filings from the investigation indicate that Zhao owns about 90% of it. Based on this data, Forbes concluded that “the exchange would likely sell for twelve figures, should CZ ever decide to offload it, even after applying a generous discount because it operates largely outside of U.S. regulations, unlike Nasdaq-listed Coinbase.” CZ Calls Forbes Estimates A ‘Guess A Number’ List In a series of X posts, Zhao affirmed that Forbes’ calculations were “definitely not accurate,” as Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto as a whole have significantly retraced from last year’s highs. Last month, he shared his path to crypto wealth, which started when a friend suggested he take Bitcoin seriously at a Shanghai poker game, and led him to sell his apartment to bet a meaningful portion of his net worth into the flagship cryptocurrency in 2013. The former CEO of Binance, who was pardoned last year by US President Donald Trump, revealed that he did not read the article, but argued that “you know it’s wrong” by just looking at their chart, deeming it a “guess a number” list. He underscored that his net worth increase didn’t make sense given the current market environment, which has dragged BTC and BNB prices down over 50% from their 2025 peaks and 25% from their 2026 opening values. “Crypto prices dropped by more than 50% in 2026 already. And my net worth went up? Wish they could apply some common sense and basic logic,” he wrote , adding that Forbes estimates are “way off.” He emphasized his point by comparing his alleged net worth with Zhang Yiming, the founder of ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. ByteDance’s estimated yearly revenue sits at around $150 billion, according to public sources, while Binance’s undisclosed yearly revenue is estimated at around $5 billion. Despite this, Forbes has calculated Zhang Yiming’s net worth at $69 billion, ranking 26th on the annual World’s Billionaires list, while CZ’s net worth was estimated at $110 billion. “I think if I tried to claim I have a high net worth, they will rank me much lower, or maybe even remove me from the list,” Zhao joked, concluding that “They like to estimate the opposite.”

12 Mar 2026, 05:00

Hyperliquid Looks Like Solana At $20 Last Cycle, Daniel Cheung Says

Daniel Cheung, co-founder of Syncracy Capital, says Hyperliquid’s native token HYPE is beginning to resemble Solana’s setup before its last major run, arguing that the protocol has become the clearest center of real trading activity in crypto. In a series of posts on X over the past month, Cheung laid out an increasingly aggressive thesis: Hyperliquid is not just outperforming within crypto, but could emerge as a broader financial trading platform with appeal beyond the sector. Cheung’s most direct comparison came this week. “HYPE at $35 feels similar to SOL at $20 before its last cycle rally,” he wrote, framing Hyperliquid as an early-stage winner before a broader market expansion. He tied that view to what he sees as the protocol’s current market position: “Hyperliquid is currently the main chain where trading activity is happening and the only chain bringing new users into crypto right now given its offering around 24/7 markets.” Related Reading: Arthur Hayes Predicts Hyperliquid’s HYPE Is Headed To $150 By August 2026 What Cheung appears to be invoking is Solana’s move from a battered late-2022 asset into one of the cycle’s biggest winners. After trading around $8 at the end of 2022 and still hovering near $23 in September 2023, SOL eventually climbed to a fresh all-time high of $295.83 in mid-January 2025. From a $20 reference point, that would imply a rally of roughly 1,379%. That argument is notable because it does not rest primarily on meme-driven activity, which has often powered attention cycles elsewhere. Cheung said Hyperliquid is “gaining significantly more media attention and respect” because its use cases are “centered around much more than dogshit memes.” In his telling, that gives the project a stronger foundation if speculative conditions improve again. Across several posts, Cheung repeatedly described Hyperliquid less as a single-app crypto trade and more as a category-defining trading venue. On Feb. 28, he wrote, “Becoming more clear by the day that Hyperliquid is the financial trading platform of the future and that generational wealth will be made longing this coin. Think this has a chance to flip Robinhood, Interactive Brokers etc… Hyperliquid is out innovating peers.” Related Reading: Apollo Crypto Explains Why Hyperliquid Is Its Top Altcoin Holding That is a large claim, and Cheung presented it as a product and market-structure thesis rather than a short-term price call alone. His view appears to hinge on two linked assumptions: first, that perpetual futures become a much larger category than the market currently prices in, and second, that Hyperliquid captures a disproportionate share of that expansion because it is already where users are trading. He made that point more explicitly on Feb. 12, when he said investors were missing “two things” in the current market. The first was that “HYPE is the most exciting startup not in AI and will eventually flip COIN and HOOD.” The second was that “the perps category will be bigger than anyone expects,” adding that another asset, LIT, looked deeply undervalued relative to HYPE on a fee basis. Cheung’s posts also make clear that timing matters. On March 9, he said “HYPE to $120+” would be “pretty easy once the crypto bull market comes back,” before adding: “We are close.” That suggests his target is not based on Hyperliquid operating in isolation, but on the idea that a renewed bull phase would amplify an already strong relative position. Notably, BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes recently argued that HYPE could reach $150 until August this year. At press time, HYPE traded at $36.16. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

12 Mar 2026, 05:00

Legal battle intensifies over £3bn bitcoin haul seized by British police

Victims of Chinese crypto fraud fight to stop Treasury capturing inflated value of the currency

12 Mar 2026, 04:56

Bitcoin slips below $69,500 as tanker attacks send oil back above $100

Brent crude surged 10% after attacks on two oil tankers in Iraqi waters, with the prompt spread hitting levels not seen in years and MSCI Asia Pacific stocks falling 1.8%.

12 Mar 2026, 04:48

XRP Price Reversal Gathers Speed, Downside Pressure Intensifies

XRP price failed to stay above $1.3950 and started a downside correction. The price is now holding the $1.3680 support but is at risk of more losses. XRP price started a downside correction and declined below $1.4050. The price is now trading near $1.3720 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is a new bearish trend line forming with resistance at $1.3910 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The pair could start another increase if it stays above $1.3680. XRP Price Corrects Gains XRP price failed to stay above $1.4120 and started a downside correction, like Bitcoin and Ethereum . The price dipped below the $1.4050 and $1.4020 levels to enter a negative zone. The price even dipped below the 50% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $1.3217 swing low to the $1.4430 high. Besides, there is a new bearish trend line forming with resistance at $1.3910 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair. The price is now trading near $1.3720 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. If there is a fresh upward move, the price might face resistance near the $1.3840 level. The first major resistance is near the $1.3920 level, above which the price could rise and test $1.40. A clear move above the $1.40 resistance might send the price toward the $1.4140 resistance. Any more gains might send the price toward the $1.4250 resistance. The next major hurdle for the bulls might be near $1.450. More Downside? If XRP fails to clear the $1.40 resistance zone, it could start a fresh decline. Initial support on the downside is near the $1.370 level. The next major support is near the $1.3680 level and the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the upward move from the $1.3217 swing low to the $1.4430 high. If there is a downside break and a close below the $1.3680 level, the price might continue to decline toward $1.340. The next major support sits near the $1.3250 zone, below which the price could continue lower toward $1.3120. Any more losses might call for a test of $1.3050. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for XRP/USD is now gaining pace in the bearish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for XRP/USD is now below the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $1.3680 and $1.3250. Major Resistance Levels – $1.3910 and $1.4000.

12 Mar 2026, 04:44

Metaplanet forms new venture firm as it expands Bitcoin playbook

Metaplanet said the new firm would support Japan-based Bitcoin projects in the payments and lending space in addition to stablecoins and tokenization-focused startups.