CZ Lands on Bloomberg 50, Next to Fauci and Kaepernick

As a cryptocurrency billionaire, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao doesn't need the plaudits. But they sure are nice.

Bloomberg Businessweek today named CZ to its Bloomberg 50, an annual list of the "people in business, entertainment, finance, politics, and science and technology whose accomplishments merit recognition."

This year's list includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and singer Billie Eilish. ("Usual Suspects" like President-elect Joe Biden and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett got their own list so the selections wouldn't be so obvious.)

“I am humbled and honored to be part of this group of remarkable people who are shaping our world for the better,” the founder said. “Alongside these committed and passionate leaders bringing change across diverse spheres, we will continue to work towards increasing financial inclusion globally with crypto as the fundamental means and putting people and our users first."

Binance is one of the world's top cryptocurrency exchanges. Zhao told Bloomberg he anticipates profits to go from $570 million in 2019 to over $800 million this year.

Earlier this week, Forbes unfurled its annual 30 Under 30 list, a collection of 600+ of the most promising twenty-somethings in finance, sports, entertainment, and other industries.

Unlike that list, the Bloomberg 50 is quite a bit smaller and not limited to people under the age of 30.