ZachXBT partners with BNB Chain and faces community backlash

Blockchain researcher ZachXBT, known for exposing crypto scams, has found himself at the center of controversy after BNB Chain revealed a partnership with him.

According to the network’s representatives, crypto detective ZachXBT will help the community maintain the ecosystem’s integrity, fairness, and transparency.

Not everyone welcomed the news. Users on X accused him of hypocrisy and dependence on Binance, noting that while he exposes scams, he’s now collaborating with a project that has itself faced repeated criticism for manipulation.

In 2023, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and Tron’s Justin Sun donated to ZachXBT’s legal defense fund when he was sued by entrepreneur Jeffrey Huang (Machi Big Brother). He raised over $1 million for legal expenses at the time, emphasizing that the donations did not compromise the independence of his work.

Responding to the latest criticism, ZachXBT said blockchain grants are part of his funding model, not a trade-off of his principles. He stressed that the partnership does not give Binance any control or limit his freedom to publish: “They simply offered support for my future investigations. It’s a standard practice — each one takes hundreds of hours.”

Some in the crypto community defended him, pointing out that Web3 has few truly independent analysts capable of systematically tracking scams and thefts. The controversy underscores a deeper dilemma in the crypto industry: independent investigators often rely on funding from the same ecosystems they scrutinize.

Amid the debate, ZachXBT said he has no intention of changing his approach and plans to release a new investigation soon related to a recent exploit in the BNB Chain ecosystem.

ZachXBT accused of hypocrisy after partnership with BNB Chain