This week, market trends were influenced by statements from Davos. While President Trump’s agreement with NATO over Greenland somewhat alleviated losses, BTC has not yet returned to the level seen at the beginning of the week. At the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meeting in 2026, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) also made notable remarks, focusing on financial innovation and its future during a panel titled “A New Era in Finance.”
CZ’s Insights in Davos
The founder of Binance, CZ, remains one of the most prominent figures in the crypto space. Although the Biden administration distanced him from the Binance exchange in the United States, CZ continues to play a central role in cryptocurrency discussions.
During the “A New Era in Finance” panel held within the WEF 2026 Annual Meeting, CZ explored themes of financial innovation at the crossroads of contrasting atmospheres in Davos, characterised by geopolitical and macroeconomic discussions on one side and thrilling debates on artificial intelligence and technology on the other.
CZ highlighted three emerging areas in the crypto sector: asset tokenization, integration of payment systems, and applications related to AI Agents. He noted that some governments are investigating asset tokenization to reveal the financial value of certain assets.
Although crypto payments have not been widely adopted yet, there is a growing trend toward backend integration between traditional payment systems and crypto. As artificial intelligence agents become more capable, the growth of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in this area is expected to accelerate.
AI and Crypto Integration
Changpeng Zhao forecasted that future AI “agents” will not use credit cards or bank accounts for payments but will instead use blockchain and cryptocurrencies as their “native currency.”
He emphasized the significant potential in tokenization, which involves converting assets into crypto tokens. CZ suggested that governments could tokenize their assets to achieve financial gains, utilizing these funds for industrial development.
CZ predicted that the need for physical bank branches will diminish considerably over the next decade; however, he does not believe banks will disappear entirely. He expects products resulting from the fusion of crypto and AI to become mainstream, particularly stablecoins’ potential in this arena.
While most participants are skeptical about using Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies directly as payment methods, they see stablecoins–cryptocurrency-backed fiat currencies–playing a crucial role as payment solutions. Smart contract platforms, like Ethereum or Solana, will support the construction of payment services integrating both stablecoins and AI in the future. This trend suggests that interest in layer 1 solutions will continue to grow in the coming years.
