CZ выделил токенизацию, платежи и ИИ как движущие силы в будущем криптоиндустрии на ВЭФ Translation: CZ highlighted tokenization, payments, and AI as driving forces in the future of the crypto industry at the WEF

On January 22, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) participated in the panel discussion titled New Era for Finance during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. During the conversation, he identified three promising areas for the future of the cryptocurrency industry: asset tokenization, payment solutions, and artificial intelligence (AI).

According to the founder of Binance, approximately a dozen governments are exploring the possibility of tokenizing state assets. Authorities aim to enhance financial benefits and channel the raised funds towards infrastructure and market development.

He pointed out the increasing alignment between the crypto industry and traditional payment systems, which are increasingly utilizing digital assets «behind the scenes.» Zhao also highlighted artificial intelligence as a key area, indicating that cryptocurrencies are set to become the native currency for AI agents in the future.

CZ asserted that cryptocurrencies have demonstrated their resilience over the past 16 years and will not disappear from the financial landscape. Amidst this, Binance remains the largest cryptocurrency exchange worldwide, surpassing the scale of its five closest rivals combined.

“We have more than 300 million users—likely more than any bank I know of. Last year, our trading volume outstripped that of the Shanghai and New York Stock Exchanges,” he stated.

As an example of the robustness of the crypto infrastructure, CZ cited December 2023, when Binance managed withdrawals of $7 billion in a single day and $14 billion over the course of a week without any disruptions.

“I don’t know of any traditional bank that could handle such a volume of withdrawals. Banking panics are not caused by technology but by systemic flaws—like fractional reserve banking,” Zhao noted.

The Binance founder mentioned that he is collaborating with various countries to establish an optimal regulatory framework. In his view, a single global framework is not feasible since each country requires its own tailored approach.

CZ predicts a significant reduction in physical bank branches over the next decade. With electronic verification (e-KYC) and digital infrastructure, the need for in-person bank visits will diminish, although financial institutions will not disappear.

“However, their role will fundamentally change as digital finance takes over everyday operations,” he emphasized.

Regarding transaction speed and cost, CZ remarked that speed does not create risks—instead, it accelerates the identification of existing issues. He stated that slowing down systems does not eliminate vulnerabilities; it merely restricts users’ access to their funds.

The panel discussion also featured Christine Forbes, Professor of Global Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management; Steven van Rijswijk, CEO of ING Group; Fred Hu, founder of Primavera Capital Group; and Jay Coffey, Director of Development at BNY.

Previously, Binance Research published an annual report that highlighted tokenization and privacy among the key development trends for the market in 2026.