CZ Is Back — And He Wants America to Lead Crypto
Changpeng Zhao — better known as CZ, the founder of Binance and one of the most recognizable names in crypto history — is making a high-profile comeback in the United States. In a pair of exclusive interviews with CoinDesk in June 2026, CZ laid out his most ambitious goal yet: turning the United States into the global capital of cryptocurrency.
"We want to do more in the U.S., and personally, I really want to help make the U.S. the capital of crypto," CZ told CoinDesk. "I want to bring more crypto services into America."
This is a major statement from the man who built the world's largest crypto exchange — and it comes at a pivotal moment for both Binance and the broader crypto market.
Who Is CZ? A Quick Refresher
For those new to the crypto space, Changpeng "CZ" Zhao is the founder of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Despite stepping down as Binance CEO and serving a four-month federal prison sentence in 2024 for Bank Secrecy Act violations, CZ remains the majority shareholder of both Binance and Binance.US — making him one of the most powerful figures in the digital asset world.
After receiving a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump, CZ has re-entered the U.S. scene with renewed energy, appearing at major industry events and lobbying Washington, D.C. to reconsider its stance on Binance and crypto broadly.
CZ's Big Vision: Make the U.S. the Crypto Capital of the World
The Core Problem: U.S. Crypto Users Are Getting a Raw Deal
CZ's push to make the U.S. the crypto capital isn't just rhetoric — it's rooted in a very real market problem. According to CZ, American crypto traders currently suffer from some of the worst pricing and liquidity conditions in the global crypto market.
"U.S. consumers don't have access to the best liquidity," he told CoinDesk. "That means they pay a much higher price to buy and sell crypto. Crypto is the only place where U.S. consumers — the largest capital markets in the world — do not have the best prices."
This results in higher slippage (the gap between the expected and actual price of a trade) and higher trading fees than users in other countries. CZ argued that this is deeply ironic: the United States, home to the world's largest capital markets, is at a disadvantage in the one financial market — crypto — that was supposed to be global and borderless.
The Solution: Link Binance.US to Binance Global's Liquidity
CZ's proposed fix is straightforward: allow Binance.US — the U.S.-focused crypto exchange he majority owns — to tap into the deep liquidity pool of Binance Global, the international exchange. This would give American traders access to far better prices and tighter spreads.
"If the U.S. wants to be the crypto capital of the world, it needs to have better liquidity," he said.
CZ acknowledged that U.S. exchanges could try to build liquidity on their own, but given that 80% of global GDP sits outside the United States and other countries are aggressively courting the crypto industry, he believes going it alone may not be enough.
CZ's Role Today: Adviser, Not CEO
One of the more intriguing aspects of CZ's current position is that despite owning the majority of both Binance and Binance.US, he has no desire to run either exchange — or any company, for that matter.
"I'm still the single largest shareholder of Binance, but I don't run Binance," he told CoinDesk. He currently serves as a board member at Binance.US but has made clear that he prefers an informal advisory role, choosing to support founders and portfolio companies through short, strategic conversations rather than formal executive positions.
He also has no plans to join any board beyond his current Binance.US seat. His investments extend across various crypto and tech ventures, including Giggle Academy and YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), which recently launched a $1 billion fund for BNB Chain projects.
Why Is the Crypto Market Down in 2026? CZ Explains
CZ's U.S. ambitions come against the backdrop of a brutal 2026 crypto bear market. Bitcoin, which hit an all-time high above $126,000 in October 2025, has since crashed more than 50%, trading near $60,000. Many altcoins have fared even worse.
In his CoinDesk interviews, CZ outlined the three main factors he sees driving the downturn:
1. The Rise of AI Investments
CZ pointed to the explosion of interest in artificial intelligence as a key factor pulling capital away from crypto. Investors who might otherwise pour money into Bitcoin and altcoins are instead chasing AI stocks and startups. "New industries like AI are taking some 'hot money' away from crypto," he said. However, he added that this should be positive in the long run as AI and blockchain technology are likely to converge.
2. Geopolitical Tensions
Global uncertainty — from trade wars to regional conflicts — has made investors risk-averse across the board, pushing them toward safer assets and away from volatile ones like cryptocurrency.
3. The Four-Year Crypto Cycle
CZ also cited the classic four-year Bitcoin halving cycle as a natural contributor to the bear market. Bitcoin's historical pattern of boom-and-bust cycles, tied to its halving events and broader market behavior, continues to play out — even if its predictability is increasingly questioned.
Despite the gloomy short-term picture, CZ remains optimistic about the long-term trajectory. "Over the long run, the industry will develop," he said, pointing to rising global demand for financial technology and digital transactions.
CZ and U.S. Crypto Regulation: Washington, D.C. Meetings
As part of his U.S. reentry, CZ has been making the rounds in Washington, D.C., meeting with lawmakers and regulators with one stated goal: clearing up "misunderstandings" about himself and Binance.
"I've perceived there's a lot of misunderstandings about Binance, about myself," he said.
CZ expressed a nuanced view on U.S. crypto legislation. He acknowledged the importance of bills like the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) — currently the most significant piece of crypto market structure legislation moving through Congress — but cautioned that individual bills are "sort of small, tactical things" that won't alone determine the industry's long-term trajectory.
More critically, CZ warned that delays in U.S. crypto regulation could allow other nations to establish dominant frameworks first, potentially costing America its competitive edge. He also flagged political risk: if Democrats regain control of at least one chamber of Congress in the upcoming midterms, President Trump's pro-crypto stance — and his pardons of crypto executives — could face heightened scrutiny.
Binance.US: What Comes Next?
For years, Binance.US operated in a legal gray zone and faced severe headwinds after the SEC sued the exchange in 2023, causing it to lose banking access and several state licenses. The exchange went from a competitive platform to a shadow of its former self.
But CZ now sees a path forward. He envisions Binance.US as a revitalized platform that draws on Binance Global's infrastructure to deliver better pricing, deeper liquidity, and a stronger overall product for American crypto traders.
Importantly, the two companies — Binance Global and Binance.US — remain legally and operationally separate, with different leadership teams, separate investor groups, and independent governance structures, even though CZ is the majority shareholder of both.
"Binance.US has a CEO, Binance.com has two co-CEOs," CZ explained. He called them "two very separate companies" operating under a licensing arrangement.
BNB and the U.S. Market Opportunity
CZ also highlighted BNB (Binance Coin) as a major untapped opportunity in the United States. The token, which powers the BNB Chain ecosystem, has had limited U.S. institutional exposure compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum.
"BNB in particular has not had a lot of exposure in the U.S.," he said, noting that other Layer 1 blockchains have done far more marketing and community building in America. He believes U.S. institutional access to BNB is growing, and he sees that as a potential catalyst for the token.
He is also building out BNB Chain's U.S. presence through a builder house in New York and a growing San Francisco footprint, supported by YZi Labs' investments.
CZ on Prediction Markets and AI + Crypto Convergence
Beyond Binance, CZ shared views on two emerging trends he finds particularly exciting:
Prediction Markets: CZ praised the rapid growth of prediction markets, calling them good for price discovery and liquidity. He acknowledged they have a gambling component but argued that speculation provides necessary liquidity — the same logic applies to traditional financial markets.
AI Agents and Crypto Rails: CZ believes blockchain is the natural payment infrastructure for AI agents transacting autonomously. "Credit cards don't have an API," he said. "The most native thing for the agent to use is obviously a blockchain." He specifically sees BNB Chain as well-positioned to serve as payment infrastructure for AI-to-AI transactions, a market still in its infancy.
CZ's Prison, Pardon, and Reputation
CZ did not shy away from addressing his legal past. He pled guilty to Bank Secrecy Act violations in 2023 and served four months in federal prison in 2024. He was later pardoned by President Trump.
Remarkably, CZ told CoinDesk that his guilty plea did not hurt his reputation — a claim that will raise eyebrows among critics but reflects his continued rock-star status within the crypto community, where he still receives standing ovations at industry events.
He said he has "nothing to hide" and is prepared to cooperate with authorities if requested, framing his Washington, D.C. meetings as a transparency effort rather than lobbying.
What Does CZ's U.S. Push Mean for Crypto Investors?
For everyday crypto investors and traders, CZ's ambitions have several important implications:
Better Liquidity and Pricing for U.S. Users: If Binance.US successfully taps Binance Global's liquidity, American traders could see meaningfully lower fees and tighter spreads — especially for large trades.
Greater Institutional Access to BNB: As YZi Labs and BNB Chain expand their U.S. presence, institutional demand for BNB could increase, potentially impacting the token's price trajectory.
Regulatory Clarity on the Horizon: CZ's Washington, D.C. meetings and advocacy for the CLARITY Act suggest the regulatory environment for U.S. crypto could improve over the next 12–18 months, which historically has been a bullish signal for the market.
Long-Term Bullishness Despite Short-Term Pain: CZ's unwavering long-term optimism about crypto — even amid a 50%+ Bitcoin drawdown — aligns with the view held by many institutional investors: the technology is real, the adoption is growing, and the current bear market is a cycle, not an endpoint.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What does CZ mean by making the U.S. the "capital of crypto"? A: CZ wants the United States to become the world's leading hub for crypto trading, innovation, and regulation — with better liquidity, more crypto services, and a friendlier regulatory environment for blockchain companies.
Q: Is CZ running Binance or Binance.US? A: No. CZ is the majority shareholder of both but does not run either on a day-to-day basis. He serves as a Binance.US board member and plays an informal advisory role across his portfolio companies.
Q: Why is crypto down so much in 2026? A: CZ cites three main factors: capital flowing into AI investments, geopolitical tensions creating risk-off sentiment, and the typical four-year Bitcoin halving cycle playing out.
Q: What is the CLARITY Act and why does it matter? A: The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is the most significant proposed U.S. crypto legislation, aiming to define how digital assets are regulated. CZ supports it but says it's only one piece of a larger puzzle.
Q: What is Binance.US and will it come back? A: Binance.US is the U.S.-regulated arm of Binance. After years of limited activity following SEC legal action, CZ has floated a major revival that would give U.S. users access to Binance Global's deep liquidity pool.
Q: How did CZ get a presidential pardon? A: After serving four months in federal prison for Bank Secrecy Act violations, CZ received a pardon from President Donald Trump in 2025. He says the pardon allows Binance to operate more freely globally, including in the U.S.
Final Thoughts: A Bold Bet on America
CZ's push to make the U.S. the capital of crypto is one of the boldest bets in the industry right now. Coming from the founder of the world's largest crypto exchange — even one operating in an advisory role — these aren't idle words. With Binance.US potentially reviving, YZi Labs expanding in U.S. cities, BNB Chain building a domestic presence, and Washington slowly warming to digital assets, the pieces of CZ's vision are starting to fall into place.
Whether the U.S. can actually claim the global crypto crown will depend on regulatory progress, market recovery, and whether American traders get access to the competitive pricing they deserve. But if CZ has his way, America won't just be a participant in the crypto economy — it'll lead it.
Published: June 2026 | Tags: CZ crypto, Changpeng Zhao, Binance US, crypto capital of the world, CZ Binance 2026, US crypto regulation, Bitcoin bear market 2026, Binance liquidity, CLARITY Act crypto, BNB token, crypto news 2026, crypto market outlook
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