Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, has rejected a viral story claiming he owned a Shiba Inu dog named Riki while living in Tokyo. In a reply on X, COINOTAG reported, CZ said he has
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, has rejected a viral story claiming he owned a Shiba Inu dog named Riki while living in Tokyo. In a reply on X, COINOTAG reported, CZ said he has never owned a Shiba Inu at any point in his life.
The story, which indirectly traced back to the Japanese edition of his book, Freedom of Money, prompted links to the Shiba Inu memecoin @ShibainuCoin ($SHIB). CZ's account, @cz_binance, was the source of the denial.
The exchange began on October 29 when a crypto content creator asked CZ to confirm the story, according to 36Crypto. The original post described Riki as CZ's companion in Tokyo and claimed the animal adjusted to the city faster than he did and never worried about paying rent. 36Crypto noted that the content creator appeared unsure whether the account was true.
CZ rejected the premise, saying he does not know who or what Riki is, U.Today reported. He also said there is so much misinformation that it cannot all be corrected. 36Crypto added that CZ criticised misleading social media narratives and said that correcting so many inaccuracies tends to discourage engagement.
Some commentators questioned whether the story was intended to imply an endorsement of SHIB. However, 36Crypto stated that no evidence established an organised promotional campaign, so the motive behind the post remains unverified.
The only dog CZ has publicly identified is a Belgian Malinois named Broccoli. When he revealed the name in February 2025, Decrypt reported that dozens of Broccoli-related tokens were deployed on BNB Chain's meme coin launchpad Four.meme. CZ said at the time that he would not back an official token and wrote that the community should let the best meme coin win.
The Block reported that when a user first asked about his pet, CZ said his dog was a Belgian Malinois, not a Shiba Inu. The episode shows how quickly unverified stories about prominent figures can spill into the memecoin market, where token launches often follow social media narratives within minutes.
36Crypto: Binance Founder CZ Denies Owning Shiba Inu as Viral SHIB Story Sparks Reactions
