'Binance isn't a Chinese firm. Have to repeat it cause I look Chinese': CEO Changpeng Zhao

Changpeng Zhao, CEO of the world's largest crypto exchange Binance, asserted on Thursday that the company is not related to China. He went on to add that people often mistake Binance to be a Chinese company because he looks Chinese.

Zhao was speaking to Bloomberg TV about bidding for bankrupt crypto firm Voyager when he brought up how often Binance is mistakenly connected to China.

"The US national security concerns were rumours spread by FTX to push us out of the bid. There was never any concern about us participating in the bid. Binance US did participate in the Voyager bid and there were no issues. Binance also bought multiple companies in America and there were no issues,"  Changpeng Zhao said.

Zhao was referring to reports of Binance's bid being held back by concerns that it would represent a national security concern for the US government. There were assumptions that it is a Chinese company since Zhao was born in China and grew up in Canada.

"Binance is not a Chinese company. We are not related to China at all. I have to repeat this many times because I look Chinese, but I've been a Canadian for 30 years," the Binance CEO asserted during the Bloomberg TV interview on Thursday.