Is Binance’s CZ Actually Richer than Invoice Gates?

Changpeng Zhao ranked above Invoice Gates on the 2026 Forbes billionaires listing, however he says the figures are incorrect.

Forbes’ newly introduced 2026 Billionaires listing reveals that Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) is now richer than tech mogul Invoice Gates.

CZ got here in seventeenth place within the journal’s annual rating of the richest folks on the planet, whereas Gates is positioned not removed from him at nineteenth.

CZ Outranks Gates in Forbes Billionaire Listing

Launched yearly, the Forbes Billionaires Listing provides a real-time snapshot of the wealth of essentially the most prolific entrepreneurs, traders, heirs, and celebrities worldwide. In line with Forbes’ web site, as of March 11, 2026, the previous Binance govt has a web value of $111.1B, whereas Gates’ is listed as $105.7B.

The info additionally means that CZ’s wealth has been rising steadily over the previous three years, because of its Binance-linked crypto holdings. However, however, the tech billionaire’s riches have remained comparatively steady and are tied to his Microsoft shares and philanthropic commitments.

Zhao has since responded to the piece, outlining on social media that the knowledge shared is inaccurate.

“Did not learn the Forbes article, however if you happen to simply have a look at the little chart 👇, you realize it is incorrect.”

In his X publish, CZ questioned how the publication calculated the figures, mentioning that crypto costs had already fallen by greater than 50% in 2026, but his reported web value had elevated.

Zhao additionally believes that Forbes’ calculations are “approach off.” He gave one other instance by comparing ByteDance’s $150 billion valuation to its former CEO’s $69 billion web value. The Forbes official web site notes that the 2026 rating was based mostly on calculations of inventory costs and alternate charges as of March 1.

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The publication additionally defined that it seems on the completely different belongings a billionaire is believed to regulate to give you a gauge of their wealth, together with stakes in public firms, personal companies, actual property, artwork collections, and different investments.

Forbes Breaks Down Its Wealth Estimates

In Zhao’s case, most of his assumed wealth is believed to originate from his possession stake in Binance. Forbes’ knowledge reveals that he nonetheless owns roughly 90% of the alternate. This represents an enormous share of his fortune if the corporate’s valuation is taken into consideration.

On high of that, he’s additionally believed to carry a considerable amount of BNB tokens linked to the Binance ecosystem. CZ has shared prior to now that his crypto portfolio accommodates about 98.5% in BNB and only one.3% in BTC. Regardless of this, the precise quantities stay undisclosed.

Gates’ wealth, however, was calculated very otherwise. The outlet mentioned that the majority of his fortune has traditionally been tied to his stake in Microsoft. Forbes, nevertheless, revealed that his possession within the agency has dropped to lower than 1% after years of donations and asset diversification.

The tech mogul has given greater than $59 billion to the belief that funds the Gates Basis over the previous couple of years. In line with Forbes, this has decreased his general web value, and because of this, his placement on their listing has additionally dropped.