Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) exited prison on Friday, two days before the official release date.

The popular crypto executive has not wasted any time sharing what he will be doing post-release, and it does not involve Binance or anything close.

Binance’s CZ Shares Post-Release Plans

Changpeng Zhao began his post by expressing gratitude for the freedom to make personal choices, such as selecting his own meals and enjoying as many fruits as he desires each day. He reflected on his past experiences, acknowledging the lessons learned and looking forward to future opportunities. In light of his release from jail, CZ also shared his plans for what he will be doing next.

First, CZ commits to furthering his education initiative, Giggle Academy. The Binance executive had aggressively promoted the initiative before his arrest. The Binance founder also said he would dedicate time and funding to charity, which aligns with his philanthropic work at Giggle Academy, which offers free education.

As of March 30, the project comprised a team of 10 members, some part-time, while others serving full-time but working remotely. Notably, one of Giggle Academy’s objectives is to teach kids how to avoid rug pulls.

Read more: Who Is Changpeng Zhao? A Deep Dive Into the Ex-CEO of Binance

Zhao also revealed his plans to finish writing his book and attend crypto-related conferences. While he may no longer be directly involved in Binance activities, CZ will remain active in the blockchain space. He highlighted that as a long-term investor, his priority is making a positive impact rather than focusing solely on financial returns.

Further, he observed that Binance was doing well in his absence. Notably, Changpeng Zhao faces a lifetime ban from serving as Binance CEO as part of his plea deal. Nevertheless, he maintains executive rights at the company as its majority shareholder.

These developments suggest CZ does not see himself as a CEO driving a startup again. They also demonstrate contentment with being a one-time entrepreneur and a possible mentor. 

With these, crypto markets can expect to see CZ around, or rather, hear from him, with his X (formerly Twitter) already active two days after release. Based on responses to his social media posts, CZ remains a people-favorite despite the circumstances that led to his arrest.

How Changpeng Zhao Got Here

As BeInCrypto reported, CZ is the wealthiest person ever to serve jail time in the US and the 25th richest man in the world, with a personal fortune of nearly $60 billion. Amid Changpeng Zhao’s post-prison updates, this rear-view mirror shows how the crypto executive made it to jail.

US Department of Justice Investigates Binance

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) started investigating Binance in February 2018, probing the exchange’s compliance with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws and sanctions. Specifically, prosecutors were exploring charges of unlicensed money transmission, money laundering conspiracy, and criminal sanctions violations.

In August 2023, the DOJ considered fraud charges against Binance. However, the authorities expressed concern about the possibility of a bank run and wanted to spare consumers the trouble. To avoid harming customers, they considered alternatives to criminal charges, including fines or non-prosecution agreements.

Charges That Sent Changpeng Zhao To Jail

The US DOJ levied criminal charges related to CZ in November 2023. Among them, were violating US Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws, unlicensed money transmitting, and sanctions violations.

He pled guilty the same month, capitulating to the DOJ and resigning as Binance CEO while introducing Richard Teng as successor. He admitted to making mistakes, saying he would take responsibility, a move intended to be for the sole benefit of the community, Binance, and for himself. Noteworthy, Teng ascended to Binance CEO after serving as Global Head of Regional Markets.

This guilty plea saw him released from custody on a $175 million bond. At this point, he was facing up to 18 months in prison as part of his plea deal with the US Government. 

In addition, CZ and Binance were charged with one of the largest criminal penalties in US history. The exchange paid a $4.3 billion fine while Zhao paid up to $50 million. For CZ, this was a modest amount given his estimated net worth.

Ripple Chief Legal Executive Stuart Alderoty supported the US DOJ’s decision on Binance, saying it was necessary to bring crypto into compliance.

CZ Sentenced To Four Months In Prison

Seattle District Court Judge Richard Jones issued the four-month sentence in April 2024, saying, “There needs to be an effort by this court to impose a sentence that’s appropriate and reasonable.” Key highlights in the court session include CZ’s guilty plea and cooperation with authorities.

The DOJ argued that Changpeng Zhao willfully allowed illegal trades on Binance. He also failed to report thousands of suspicious criminal activities, which attracted profits of around $1.6 billion from such transactions.

The Federal sentencing guidelines set a maximum sentence of 18 months but under normal circumstances, the charge would have carried up to 10 years in prison.

Notably, the DOJ was pushing for 36 months sentence. On the other hand, CZ’s defense pursued five months of probation, while sentencing guidelines suggested 12 to 18 months in prison.

However, Judge Jones ruled a lenient four-month sentence. Character references from colleagues and industry leaders played a significant role in this determination. The judge said he had never seen such a large amount of uniformly laudatory testimonials about a defendant.

Impact of Prison on CZ’s Wealth and Binance Stake

The short answer is none! Changpeng Zhao’s personal fortune has not been affected by the case, save for the modest $50 million fine paid in November. He also reserves majority shareholder rights at Binance, which by Forbes estimates, is a 90% stake.

In 2021, Changpeng Zhao said in a Bloomberg interview he does not own any real estate or much capital in fiat currencies. Rather, his crypto holdings made up nearly 100% of his entire net worth. He also revealed that he sold his house in 2013 to buy Bitcoin, which marked the beginning of his crypto journey.

Read more: Binance Review 2024: Is It the Right Crypto Exchange for You?

Based on Forbes data, CZ owns 64% of the total supply of Binance Coin (BNB) supply. As traders take profits amid the hype surrounding Zhao’s release, BNB has wiped out some of the gains made over the past 24 hours, dropping from $610.20 to trade for $594.71 as of this writing.

Up by 6% today, Ripple’s (XRP) price appears to be ending September on a strong note. But as October 2024 approaches, ongoing regulatory developments, institutional inflows, and some other factors will determine whether XRP will have an intriguing month or not.

With investors eagerly watching for clues on XRP’s price potential, this analysis examines key technical indicators, whale movements, and market sentiment, offering insights into what to expect from the token in the coming month

Ripple Looks Up to These Factors as Market Interest Rises

On a month-to-date basis, XRP’s price has increased by 10%, starting at $0.55 this month. At press time, the altcoin’s value is $0.62. This positive return could be linked to the broader market recovery, particularly Grayscale’s launch of the XRP Trust two weeks ago.

For some investors, the trust appears to be the first step toward an XRP ETF despite its current regulatory challenges. Some also believe that the development will positively affect XRP’s price in October. 

Furthermore, the surge in the token’s Open Interest (OI) seems to align with this sentiment. As of this writing, XRP’s Open Interest is almost $900 million. This indicates a notable rise in speculative activity around the token.

Price-wise, an increasing OI indicates that more money is flowing into the derivatives market. When this occurs during an upswing, it gives more strength to the trend. As such, XRP’s price might continue to climb into next month.

Read more: XRP ETF Explained: What It Is and How It Works

However, Juan Pellicer, Senior Researcher at IntoTheBlock, disagrees with the potential XRP ETF effect. According to him, Ripple’s stablecoin launch and integration with Decentralized Finance (DeFi) should have more impact in October 2024 and beyond.

“While the launch of an XRP Trust and potential transition to an XRP ETF are significant developments to monitor, the primary catalyst for XRP in Q4 2023 is expected to be the launch of their RLUSD stablecoin and its integration into the DeFi ecosystem,” Pellicer told BeInCrypto in an exclusive interview.

Irrespective of the crucial catalyst, data from Santiment shows that crypto whales are buying XRP again.  As seen below, these whales purchased 60 million tokens, valued at $37.20 million, between yesterday and today. Based on this action, it appears that whales are gearing up for a potential XRP price increase as Q4 approaches. 

XRP Price Prediction: Ready for Breakout

From a technical perspective, the lack of volatility around the token has kept XRP’s price from reaching $0.70 earlier. However, the daily chart shows that it might now have a higher chance of hitting that value.

For instance, a look at the Ichimoku cloud, which typically tracks support and resistance, shows that the indicator is below the price. When the Ichimoku cloud is positioned below the price, it signifies support, indicating that the cryptocurrency may have a solid foundation to push higher. Conversely, when the cloud is above the price, it acts as resistance, suggesting a potential decline in value.

In XRP’s case, the cloud’s being below the price implies strong support, potentially driving the value higher than $0.62. With support at $0.59, XRP’s price might breach the resistance at $0.63.

Read more: How To Buy XRP and Everything You Need To Know

After that, the next level for the altcoin to reach could be around $0.69, potentially moving up to $0.72 before October ends. However, if XRP experiences a notable decline in whale activity in the next months,  this prediction might not come to pass. Instead, XRP’s price could decrease to $0.57.

However, Pellicer, commenting on the cryptocurrency’s price, noted that it might experience increased volatility, which could push it out of the current tight trading range

“We anticipate increased volatility for XRP as these developments unfold. The success of the RLUSD stablecoin and its DeFi integration could potentially drive XRP towards new yearly highs, contingent on broader market conditions and regulatory outcomes,” the analyst said.

BlackRock asset management firm has hit a new milestone in its spot Ethereum ETF (exchange-traded fund) offering, breaching the $1 billion mark in total asset value in a record two months.

It comes after a favorable week of trading, during which Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) ETFs recorded multi-week highs as crypto markets recovered.

BlackRock Hits Key Milestone With ETHA

According to Sosovalue data, BlackRock’s Ethereum ETF (ETHA) reached a significant milestone after Friday’s inflows, bringing its total net asset value to over $1 billion just two months after its launch.

This achievement makes ETHA the second Ethereum ETF to surpass $1 billion in value, following Grayscale’s Ethereum Mini Trust (ETH). Nate Geraci, President of the ETF Store, noted that this milestone places BlackRock’s ETHA among the top 20% of the 3,700 ETFs currently available in the US market.

Read more: How to Invest in Ethereum ETFs?

BlackRock’s watershed moment comes after crypto ETFs recorded a favorable week. As BeInCrypto reported, both Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs hit multi-week highs in inflows, signaling growing optimism for a crypto market recovery. Bitcoin ETFs attracted $1.11 billion in inflows, while Ethereum ETFs recorded $84.6 million — the highest since August.

Notably, three out of five trading days last week saw positive net inflows for Ethereum ETFs, marking the second consecutive week of gains since their debut in late July.

The renewed optimism comes amid a paradigm shift in the US macroeconomic space, instigated by the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision. With the stance inspiring increased liquidity, investors continue to bet on crypto market recovery, with Bitcoin holding well above $65,000.

BlackRock Bought More Bitcoin This Week Than Any ETF Sold

As BlackRock advances its Ethereum ETF, it is also ramping up efforts in its Bitcoin portfolio. As BeInCrypto reported, the firm’s BTC stash is steadily closing in on Binance.

Data from Arkham shows that BlackRock bought more Bitcoin this week than any ETF has sold in the past three weeks. Specifically, the firm acquired 5,894 BTC, valued at $387.68 million, over four days, signaling a strong accumulation trend.

This buying spree follows three years of skepticism, with BlackRock now holding approximately $23.86 billion worth of Bitcoin. Further purchases were reported by Lookonchain, including an additional 1,684 BTC worth $110.7 million on Saturday, September 28. These acquisitions have brought BlackRock’s total Bitcoin holdings to around 365,310 BTC, valued at over $24.039 billion.

Read more: Who Owns the Most Bitcoin in 2024?

Robbie Mitchnick, BlackRock’s head of digital assets, notes Bitcoin’s immunity to risks such as currency debasement and political turmoil. BlackRock suggests that Bitcoin’s scarce, non-sovereign, and decentralized nature makes it a potential flight-to-safety asset. The firm also believes that global instability could drive long-term adoption of Bitcoin as a store of value.