Following Binance’s sudden and rapid listing of a token called Test (TST), which was created by former Binance CEO and co-founder, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, concerns over the exchange’s vetting process and worries about insider trading began to mount.
Yi He, one of Binance’s co-founders, has responded to criticism and voiced her own concerns.
Speaking in an AMA, He explains that there are three criteria for a token listing. First, the token should outperform the market average. Secondly, the exchange weighs up if the token will draw new users to the exchange. Finally, if it’s a high-profile project, it stands a better chance of getting listed.
“If a high-profile project — particularly one with strong technological appeal and market hype — is not listed on Binance, we risk losing market share,” she said.
There is, however, no explicit mention of TST of CZ throughout the interview. Though just based on the vetting criteria a detailed by He, TST seems to be a perfect fit. CZ has spoken out on the matter, heavily criticizing Binaince’s listing process following the token’s listing:
“I think the Binance listing process is a bit broken.”
Seemingly, even CZ was surprised to see how quickly and easily the token made it onto the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
In recent months, notably following 2024’s memecoin explosion, Binance came under criticism for its rather hasty memecoin listings, which garnered concerns that insider trading was rife at the world’s largest crypto exchange.
CZ has previously decried memecoins, describing the mania around these tokens as “weird.”
He has also distanced himself from the TST token and pushed back against speculation that it was his plan all along. However, a recent X post following the listing has drawn some ire.
That said, the token was created on Four.Meme, a launchpad for social crypto tokens on the Binance Coin (BNB) chain.
By the very nature of its creation and the subsequent flurry of trading activity that followed—including a huge price dip—TST meets all the criteria of a memecoin, whether CZ likes it or not.