Freedom of Money, Prison Bars, and Wall Street Stars: How CZ Got Fink and Dalio to Blurb His Memoir

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao dropped his 366-page memoir "Freedom of Money" on April 8, securing the kind of co-signs that would make most crypto founders weep into their laptops. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio both threw their weight behind the book—because nothing says "I've made it" like having the world's largest asset manager and the hedge fund godfather blurb your prison reading material. CZ penned most of it during his four-month US prison stint in 2024, because when you're facing federal time, apparently that's just prime literary real estate.

The memoir traces CZ's journey from rural China to building the world's largest crypto exchange, including the $4.3 billion settlement with the US Department of Justice. It's the kind of origin story that makes Silicon Valley founders look like they were playing business in the minor leagues.

Fink, who manages roughly $10 trillion in assets at BlackRock, called CZ an early mover in blockchain adoption. "CZ saw early what many are only beginning to understand today: digital assets and blockchain technology can unlock real opportunities for nations willing to embrace the future. His story is about conviction, resilience, and an unwavering belief in the power of technology to serve people." That's a lot of flowery language from a guy whose firm is now directly eating Binance's lunch.

Dalio went more personal, praising CZ's rise from poverty to global influence. "As a great admirer of CZ for his bold contributions to making alternative monies accessible to almost everyone in the world, I'm thrilled that he has so clearly laid out his life story. I recommend it for anyone who aspires to go from humble beginnings to a world shaper or is interested in a fascinating read of CZ building Binance into a pillar of the new monetary order." Nothing says "humble beginnings" quite like building a crypto empire, getting locked up, and then dropping a memoir with blurbs from the financial elite.

The endorsement crew also includes His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Haidilao founder Zhang Yong, and early Bitcoin investor Matt Roszak. Binance co-founder and co-CEO Yi He wrote the foreword. It's like a UN summit met a crypto conference met a self-help book launch.

The timing is... interesting. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is now handling $16 billion to $18 billion in daily trading volume, putting it directly in competition with Binance for crypto liquidity. BlackRock also integrated its BUIDL tokenized fund as collateral on Binance back in November 2025. So basically, the world's biggest asset manager is now both endorsing CZ's book and competing with his exchange for every satoshi of trading volume. The irony is so thick you could spread it on toast.

But there's a compliance cloud hanging over the launch. Just weeks before publication, Bloomberg reported that Binance's Chief Compliance Officer Noah Perlman—a former federal prosecutor brought in as part of the 2023 plea deal reforms—has started discussing his departure. At least four senior compliance staff have left or been pushed out recently. Nothing says "we take compliance seriously" like your compliance team fleeing the building faster than traders during a liquidation cascade.

More concerning, Fortune reported in February 2026 that Binance fired at least five compliance investigators who found evidence of $1 billion in transfers to Iran-linked entities between March 2024 and August 2025. Senator Richard Blumenthal opened a Senate inquiry, and nine Senate Democrats called on the DOJ and Treasury to investigate. Binance denies firing investigators for reporting violations and says it found "no evidence" of sanctions-law violations. Classic "we investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong" energy.

All book royalties go to CZ's education nonprofit Giggle Academy. But endorsements from the world's most powerful asset managers carry a different kind of currency—one that no charity pledge fully offsets. Call it the PR wash trade.