Share this article
Binance CEO Sues Bloomberg’s Hong Kong Partner for Defamation
It's not the first time Zhao and Binance have sued the media.
By Danny Nelson
Updated Apr 9, 2024, 11:14 p.m. Published Jul 25, 2022, 9:50 p.m.
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao on Monday filed a lawsuit against Bloomberg Businessweek’s Hong Kong publisher Modern Media CL claiming defamation over a translated Chinese language article title that portrayed the crypto exchange chief as running a “Ponzi scheme.”
The suit stems from Bloomberg Businessweek’s June 23 profile of Zhao: “Can Crypto’s Richest Man Stand the Cold?” But in Hong Kong, Modern Media ran a different headline designed – according to Zhao’s representative – to spur “hatred, contempt and ridicule” for the world’s richest crypto billionaire: “Zhao Changpeng’s Ponzi Scheme.”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Zhao demanded a retraction, called for the edition’s removal from newsstands and for a restraining order to stop the defendants from further spreading the portrayal. Modern Media has already obliged in part.
Zhao separately filed a motion for discovery against Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claiming “defamatory allegations” in the profile piece.
There, Zhao took issue with the article’s portrayal of Binance as “sketchy” and with an anonymous quote from a trader that called Binance a “massive [s**tcoin] casino.” These statements “were obviously designed to mislead readers into believing” that Zhao was breaking the law, the motion read.
The dual legal actions continue Zhao’s aggressive image protection strategy for Binance. Binance sued Forbes in 2020 over allegedly defamatory statements but dropped the suit last year. (It later made a strategic investment in Forbes that was tied to a flopped SPAC deal). Zhao sued venture capital firm Sequoia claiming defamation in 2019.
Be accountable for your actions.
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) July 25, 2022
The U.S. court filings underscore the extent to which Binance closely protects its reputation and how it is perceived. It recounts a back-and-forth between legal teams that resulted in Modern Media scrubbing the Ponzi headline and pulling the physical copy from print earlier this month. But “various online websites” were still selling the print edition, the filing states, prompting Zhao to go to court.
Bloomberg: hey, we will do a nice profile piece on you, invite you for photoshoots, etc. Then switches the story last minute. Ignore all positive comments they got from 3rd parties. Picked only old negatives. And still puts you on the cover. WTF!? Unprofessional.
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) June 24, 2022
"We understand that Binance has filed a lawsuit against Modern Media, a company based in China that publishes a Chinese language edition of Bloomberg Businessweek and that published a translated version of a Businessweek story that first ran on June 23," a spokesperson for Bloomberg News told CoinDesk. "The lawsuit refers to a headline that was not published in the original English language version of the story.”
UPDATE (7/26/22, 16:35 UTC): Adds comment from Bloomberg.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Tom Lee urges BitMine shareholders to approve share increase ahead of January 14 vote
The chairman of the former bitcoin miner-turned-ether treasury firm reiterated his view that Ethereum is the future of finance.
What to know:
- Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine Immersion (BMNR), urged shareholders to approve an increase in the company's authorized share count from 500 million to 50 billion.
- Lee assured shareholders that the increase is not intended to dilute shares, but instead to enable capital raising, dealmaking, and future share splits.
- Shareholders have until January 14 to vote on the proposal, with the annual meeting scheduled for January 15 in Las Vegas.
Top Stories
