Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) released his 366-page memoir “Freedom of Money” on April 8, with praise from BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio.

The book, which CZ mostly wrote during his four-month imprisonment in the USA in 2024, tells the story of his journey from the countryside of China to building the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange and the agreement of 4.3 billion USD with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Wall Street heavyweights support cryptocurrency's most controversial founder

Fink, who oversees about 10 trillion USD in assets at BlackRock, described CZ as an early pioneer in blockchain.

“CZ recognized early on what many are just beginning to understand now: digital assets and blockchain technology can create real opportunities for countries willing to invest in the future. His story is about conviction, resilience, and a strong belief in the power of technology to serve people.”

Dalio expressed himself more personally and praised CZ's journey from poverty to global impact.

“I have great respect for CZ and his courageous work in making alternative money possible for almost everyone in the world. I am glad that he so clearly shares his life story. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to move from simple circumstances to being part of building the future, or to you who want to read about how CZ made Binance an important part of the new monetary system.”

The other three supports come from His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Haidilao founder Zhang Yong, and early Bitcoin (BTC) investor Matt Roszak. Yi He, Binance co-founder and co-CEO, wrote the foreword.

These supports come at a commercially significant moment for both parties. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) now manages 16 billion to 18 billion USD in daily trading volume and competes directly with Binance for crypto liquidity.

BlackRock also integrated its BUIDL-tokenized fund as collateral with Binance in November 2025.

Lack of compliance raises concerns around CZ's “Freedom of Money”

But the book is being released amid new concerns surrounding Binance and compliance.

Just weeks before the book's launch, Bloomberg reported that Binance's Chief Compliance Officer, Noah Perlman, a former federal prosecutor hired as part of the 2023 agreement, has begun discussing his departure.

At least four senior compliance executives have left or been dismissed in recent months.

Even more concerning, in February 2026, Fortune reported that Binance dismissed at least five investigators who found evidence of transfers of 1 billion USD to Iran-linked actors between March 2024 and August 2025.

Senator Richard Blumenthal opened a Senate investigation and nine Senate Democrats urged the DOJ and the Treasury Department to look into the matter.

Binance denied that it dismissed the investigators for reporting violations.

The exchange stated that they found no evidence of violations of sanctions laws related to the reported transactions.

All book proceeds go to CZ's educational foundation Giggle Academy, but support from the world's most powerful asset managers provides a kind of status that no charitable promises can fully replace.