Binance Founder Denies Facilitating WLFI Introductions

Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of Binance, has refuted allegations that he acted as a "fixer" for World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a decentralized finance (DeFi) venture associated with the Donald Trump family. The allegations were made in a recent article that claimed Zhao facilitated international introductions for WLFI, including engagements in various countries.

In response to the article, Zhao posted on X on May 23, stating that the report was misleading and that the publication intentionally distorted facts to fit a narrative. He specifically addressed the claim that he arranged introductions between Bilal Bin Saqib, head of the Pakistan Crypto Council, and WLFI. According to the article, this connection led to Saqib's appointment as an advisor to the group and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistani government. However, Zhao denied these allegations, stating that he did not connect Saqib with the WLFI team and that they had known each other previously. He also clarified that he only met Saqib for the first time in Pakistan and did not make any introductions for WLFI's foreign travels.

Zhao's rebuttal comes amidst a series of disputes between him and the publication over what he claims are misleading reports. In April, Zhao dismissed claims that he had agreed to cooperate against Justin Sun as part of a plea deal with US authorities. He also denied prior reports suggesting that President Trump had sought an investment in Binance. Zhao likened the publication's reporting approach to Cunningham’s Law, which suggests that the best way to get the correct answer is to post the wrong one. He criticized the publication, stating that it had resorted to negative intentions and was not conducting journalism in the proper manner. Zhao also expressed his belief that the stories were being used by anti-crypto interests to undermine the industry, its global leaders, and pro-crypto movements in the US. He concluded that the publication was acting as a mouthpiece for forces in the US that want to hinder efforts in making the US the capital of crypto.