President Trump has pardoned Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the billionaire founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance — concluding a months-long lobbying effort by the crypto mogul to erase his US felony conviction and reopen the door to his company’s return to the American market.

Trump signed the pardon Wednesday, as The Wall Street Journal first reported.

The president “exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Post.

“The Biden Administration’s war on crypto is over,” she added.

Zhao’s criminal record hampered his company’s efforts to regain access to the US, limiting its ability to secure banking relationships and regulatory approvals.

A clean slate could now accelerate that process.

The pardon wipes away Zhao’s 2023 conviction for violating the Bank Secrecy Act and failing to maintain anti–money-laundering controls at Binance.

Prosecutors said the firm was a hub for illicit money transactions through which sanctioned groups and criminal organizations laundered billions.

The exchange paid a record $4.3 billion fine to settle federal charges and was banned from operating in the US. Zhao served four months in prison and stepped down as CEO as part of the deal. 

“Deeply grateful for today’s pardon and to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice,” Zhao wrote on X. “Will do everything we can to help make America the Capital of Crypto.”

A Binance rep said the company “remains focused on building a secure, transparent, and user-first platform that reduces fees and increases access to the financial system for all.”

The pardon confirms an exclusive oct. 12 Post revealing that White House aides had ramped up internal debate over granting Zhao clemency – and that some officials were concerned about the optics because of Trump family crypto ventures tied to Zhao’s business empire.

Zhao had been quietly pressing Trump’s team for a pardon since early 2024, as his lawyers and lobbyists sought to restore his standing in the financial world.

In March, Reuters reported that representatives of Trump’s family held talks to take a financial stake in Binance’s US arm while Zhao’s pardon request was pending.

Last year, Binance reached out to Trump allies, offering to strike a business deal with the family as part of a plan to return the exiled company to the US.

It was unclear whether any investment discussions were tied to Zhao’s clemency bid.

At a Wednesday press conference, Leavitt said there’s a “very thorough examination of every pardon attempt.”

The White House counsel said “this was an overly prosecuted case by the Biden administration,” according to Leavitt.

“The president wants to correct this overreach of the Biden administration’s misjustice,” she added.

Zhao, 48, who lives in Abu Dhabi, has remained Binance’s largest shareholder.

He founded the company in 2017 and built it into the world’s biggest crypto-trading platform, with an estimated 300 million global users.

The Justice Department’s previous settlement placed Binance under a three-year independent monitorship to ensure compliance with US law.

The pardon may cut short that oversight, though a separate Treasury Department monitorship remains unless rescinded by the Treasury secretary, according to The Journal.

Trump’s decision drew immediate backlash from Democrats, who said the pardon raises conflict-of-interest questions given the Trump family’s growing stake in the digital-currency business.

Since Trump’s election, Binance has emerged as a key backer of the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, whose stablecoin USD1 has become a centerpiece of the president’s financial portfolio.

In May, Zhao acknowledged on X that he had formally petitioned Trump for a pardon and said he was “ready to move on and build.”

After the Post scoop revealing that White House deliberations had intensified, Zhao responded online, “Great news if true,” followed by four praying-hands emojis.

Crypto investors cheered news of the pardon. The Journal noted that Binance’s BNB token has surged almost 80% this year, making it the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market value after bitcoin, ether, and tether, according to CoinMarketCap.

Bitcoin rose nearly 2% in early trading Thursday following word of the president’s decision.

Industry advocates said Zhao’s conviction was an overreach by regulators seeking to appear tough after the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX crypto exchange, which unraveled amid allegations of massive fraud.

Bankman-Fried, once one of the Democratic Party’s biggest donors, is serving a 25-year prison sentence for defrauding investors and customers.

“CZ wasn’t accused of fraud like SBF,” said Eleanor Terrett, editor of the Crypto In America newsletter, in comments to The Post earlier this month.

“Many industry players see his jail sentence as the result of regulators — still with egg on their faces, post-FTX — making an example out of anyone in crypto who operated in or around the US,” Terrett said.

Zhao’s clemency follows Trump’s March pardon of Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of crypto exchange BitMEX, who pleaded guilty to similar money-laundering violations.

Despite its legal troubles, Binance remains a central force in global crypto markets.

The Post has sought comment from Zhao’s attorney, Teresa Goody Guillen.