Binance US CEO Is ‘Taking Deserved Break,’ CZ Seeks to Downplay Executive Exodus

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Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has commented on the latest executive departures from his company’s American branch. The changes in the U.S. crypto trading firm’s management, including the release of its chief executive, followed similar developments at the global exchange.

CZ Urges Followers to Ignore Binance US FUD, Says Regulatory Environment Requires New Head

Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) took to X, formerly Twitter, to address “some speculation regarding recent management changes” at Binance’s branch in the United States. His tweet follows news that the Miami-based entity’s chief executive is leaving.

“Brian Shroder is taking a deserved break after accomplishing what he set out to do when he joined two years ago. Under his leadership, Binance US raised capital, improved its product and service offerings, solidified internal processes, and gained significant market share, all of which helped to build a more resilient company for the benefit of customers,” CZ said in the post on Friday.

While expressing gratitude for Shroder’s contributions, Zhao explained that the crypto market is now in a different place than two years ago, when he joined Binance’s U.S. arm. He made a reference to the “rapidly evolving and increasingly hostile regulatory environment,” reiterated his call on followers to ignore FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt), and insisted:

Norman Reed – former SEC, New York Fed, Ripple, and DTCC executive – is the right person to lead Binance US in this market.

Reed is an interim appointment, according to a company spokesperson who gave no specific reason for Shroder’s departure when announcing it this week. However, the shift comes amid increased regulatory pressure on Binance US which has resulted in shrinking market share and significant layoffs.

After Brian Shroder, two other executives also left – the exchange’s Head of Legal Krishna Juvvadi and its Chief Risk Officer Sidney Majalya. The crypto trading platform is also reducing its workforce by a third after already having cut jobs in 2023.

reportedly laid off 1,000 employees globally earlier this year. A number of other executives have also exited the world’s largest exchange for digital assets, including Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Hillmann, Senior Vice President for Compliance Steven Christie, Binance’s General Counsel Hon Ng, Leon Foong, head of Binance’s Asia-Pacific business, and Product Lead Mayur Kamat as well as its managers for Eastern Europe and Russia, Gleb Kostarev and Vladimir Smerkis.

Do you think there will be more executive departures and layoffs at Binance US or the global company? Tell us in the comments section below.