Tyler Winklevoss, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini (NASDAQ:GEMI), has said that Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder of Binance, deserved to get pardoned. Winklesvoss believes that his prosecution was “politically motivated” and his punishment was “disproportionate.”
IMO, @cz_binance deserved to get pardoned. His prosecution was politically motivated and his punishment was disproportionate. He was thrown in jail for failing to maintain an effective compliance program. Bankers have compliance failures all the time and they never get perp…
— Tyler Winklevoss (@tyler) October 24, 2025
Winklevoss also stated via social media that it seems that Changpeng Zhao or CZ was thrown in jail for allegedly failing to maintain “an effective compliance program.” The Gemini co-founder pointed out that bankers have compliance failures “all the time and they never get perp walked.” He added that they just pay fines and then simply “go on their way.”
Winklevoss further noted that crypto shouldn’t be “held to a double standard.” And CZ always did “right by his customers and onboarded millions around the world into crypto, giving them a shot at financial freedom and a better life.”
The Gemini co-founder also thinks that in terms of a level playing field, it’s not CZ’s fault that the US screwed over the industry “at every turn over the last decade.”
And whatever Binance‘s violations were, they “never would have been an advantage over US crypto companies if every three-letter agency and financial regulator in the US hadn’t attacked, hobbled, and stifled US crypto companies every step of the way.” Winklevoss also said that the fact that “not following the rules was an advantage, not a disadvantage, is an indictment on a decade of failed US policy more than anything.”
While Tyler Winklevoss does seem to have very strong opinions on this matter, it is worth highlighting that under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, and more broadly the Biden Administration, not much progress was actually being made to encourage innovation and support high-potential sectors like web3 and digital assets.
As most crypto industry observers and participants have seen, the Trump Administration has clearly taken a more innovation-friendly approach towards blockchain and crypto-focused initiatives. This is definitely a strategy that has already been well-received by US-based businesses for the most part. Large and more traditional financial institutions now also feel more confident about rolling out new products and joining the crypto-economy.
Not only has the Bitcoin and crypto market surpassed the $4 trillion market cap for the first time, the stablecoin ecosystem is also growing steadily. Due to clearer and more extensive regulatory frameworks, many more stablecoin-focused initiatives are being launched. The US finally looks poised to lead when it comes to embracing digital assets, tokenization, and digital securities.
With CZ now being pardoned, we can also expect a more pro-crypto stance and fairer policies for companies operating in this nascent sector. These types of policies will only help consumers and also help the US economy remain dominant in the years to come. Other major jurisdictions like the UK will now look to follow this lead.