The new round of accusations has once again pushed Zhao Changpeng to the forefront of global public opinion.

The following is all the publicly known information regarding this situation.

The latest statement comes from a post by DefiWimar on X, which cites a recent article published by the Financial Times.

According to the post, Zhao Changpeng is now accused of “aiding in the funding of Hamas,” a statement that immediately raised concerns about a potential market shock.

The post contains an image of a Financial Times article and a direct link confirming that a new civil lawsuit has been filed in a federal court in the United States.

According to the Financial Times, the plaintiffs are the family members of the victims of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

They accuse Zhao Changpeng and Binance of facilitating payments for the attack and seek compensation under the Anti-Terrorism Law.

Importantly, this is a civil lawsuit, not a new criminal charge. The burden of proof in a civil lawsuit is lower, focusing on damages, and is independent of any presidential pardon.

This distinction is crucial because Zhao Changpeng received a pardon from President Donald Trump on October 23, 2025, for his prior conviction in a federal case for violating anti-money laundering regulations. However, the pardon only relieves him of criminal penalties and does not prevent private civil lawsuits.

The background of this case is crucial.

This is not the first time Binance and Zhao Changpeng have been accused of facilitating the movement of funds related to sanctioned or terrorist organizations.

In November 2023, Binance and Zhao Changpeng pleaded guilty to multiple serious federal charges in the United States.

At that time, prosecutors and regulatory agencies stated that Binance violated anti-money laundering regulations by operating without proper licenses and handling transactions involving Iran, ISIS, Hamas, and other high-risk entities.

The total amount of the settlement agreement is 4.3 billion dollars, making it one of the largest fines for such violations in U.S. history.

As part of the plea agreement, Zhao Changpeng resigned as CEO and will begin serving a four-month federal prison sentence starting in April 2024.

In February 2024, another civil lawsuit against Binance (initially not directly targeting Zhao Changpeng personally) was filed by the family members of the victims and hostages from the October 7 attack.

The lawsuit accuses Binance of acting as a source of funding for Hamas from 2017 to 2023, due to its failure to implement appropriate control measures and allowing certain transactions that should have been flagged or blocked to proceed. This earlier lawsuit constitutes a part of a broader pattern that has resurfaced in the current new lawsuit.

However, this new lawsuit is directly aimed at Zhao Changpeng and comes after he has been pardoned and returned to the public eye.

The lawsuit claims that Binance's long-standing compliance issues, along with Changpeng Zhao's personal leadership decisions, directly facilitated the flow of funds related to Hamas.

Although this is a civil lawsuit rather than a criminal one, it still poses reputational risks and potential financial losses. The civil lawsuit requires proving that Zhao Changpeng and Binance provided “substantial assistance” or “knowingly facilitated” harmful activities, even if there is no evidence indicating that they intended to support terrorism.

So far, neither Zhao Changpeng nor Binance has made a public response.

The case is still in its early stages and has been filed in a U.S. federal court, similar to previous litigation procedures.

It is unclear whether this matter will have a substantial impact on Zhao Changpeng's legal situation, but the effects on his personal reputation, the Binance brand, and broader market trust could be significant.

Overall, this model has become increasingly hard to ignore.

Binance and Zhao Changpeng have documented violations and admitted to these violations in an official confession.

Regulators had previously stated that Binance lacked adequate controls, allowing funds related to sanctioned entities and terrorist organizations to flow through the platform.

Whether these new accusations can be fully substantiated in court remains to be seen.

However, these accusations continue to resurface, supported by serious plaintiffs and mainstream media, highlighting that the shadow hanging over Zhao Changpeng's leadership has not yet dissipated.

This new lawsuit is not an isolated incident.

This reflects the increasing global pressure Binance is facing, as well as the ongoing regulatory violations that continue to trouble Zhao Changpeng, even after he received a pardon.

The mystery is not only whether Zhao Changpeng helped facilitate illegal fund flows, but whether the entire system he built made such flows predictable, preventable, and ultimately harmful.

Currently, the crypto world is once again focusing on Zhao Changpeng and another high-risk chapter in this protracted drama that refuses to come to an end.