Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, founder of Binance, said that the BNB Chain's $45 million "Reload Fund" airdrop was established to reimburse memecoin traders following recent market losses.
"It was a $44 Million Reload Fund", air dropped randomly to people who lost money on memes on BNB Chain a few days ago," said Zhao. "Then someone added $1 million more, and "screwed it up". Protect users. BNB Chain."
The BNB Chain "Reload Airdrop" was announced in mid-October 2025 as a $45 million fund intended to address the fallout from a severe memecoin crash that led to over $19 billion in liquidations across leveraged positions. According to Cointelegraph, the initiative targets more than 160,000 addresses that had traded memecoins during this tumultuous period, distributing compensation via network partners like PancakeSwap and Trust Wallet. The move is being framed not purely as restitution but as a community "reload" effort to stabilize sentiment after sudden volatility.
BNB Chain disclosed that over 160,000 addresses were eligible for the Reload Airdrop, indicating the scale of memecoin traders identified as impacted by recent losses. The network emphasized that any address which had executed memecoin trades during the crash period would be considered, suggesting that a broad subset of the ecosystem’s active retail participants were affected. This figure helps quantify the reach of the compensation scheme.
In a recent precedent, Binance reimbursed users with a $283 million payout following October's depegging and liquidation events tied to assets like USDe and wBETH, fully covering verified losses in two distribution phases. That compensation stands as one of the largest airdrop-style user repayments ever undertaken by the exchange during extreme market stress. This precedent serves as a benchmark for user redress in crypto turmoil.
According to Forbes, Changpeng Zhao is recognized as a visionary entrepreneur who founded Binance in 2017 and quickly grew it into the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. He is noted for his leadership in advancing blockchain technology and promoting financial inclusion globally, making him one of the most influential figures in the crypto industry. Zhao's innovative strategies and commitment to expanding crypto accessibility have earned him a reputation as a pioneer in digital finance.
Binance was established in 2017 and rapidly became the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, with its mission centered on increasing access to digital asset infrastructure and "freedom of money." While Binance helped incubate the BNB token and supported the development of BNB Chain, it is managed via a decentralized validator model and is formally independent of the exchange. The broader relationship positions Binance as the principal exchange and service layer, with BNB Chain operating as the smart-contract network and execution layer within the ecosystem.