Binance co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao says the term “crypto” could disappear from everyday conversation within five years — not because the technology vanishes, but because it becomes as invisible and ubiquitous as the internet.
Speaking on Scott Melker’s Wolf of All Streets podcast on Thursday, Zhao argued that crypto’s success will be measured by how little people need to talk about it. “I’m hoping that we don’t talk about crypto as crypto in five years, just like we don’t talk about the internet anymore,” he said, pointing out that we no longer discuss TCP/IP, HTML or JavaScript — we simply use the services those standards enabled.
That vision is supported by a string of bullish adoption signals and forecasts. Highlights cited during and around Zhao’s remarks include:
- DemandSage estimates global crypto users will reach about 559 million in 2026.
- A September Citi survey found most banks and asset managers expect tokenized securities and stablecoins to account for roughly 10% of global post-trade market turnover in under five years.
- ARK Invest projects the digital-asset market could expand to $28 trillion by 2030.
- Tether co-founder Reeve Collins has predicted that most traditional currencies could eventually become stablecoins.
- Chainalysis has offered an even more aggressive prediction, estimating stablecoin volumes could hit $1.5 quadrillion by 2035.
Zhao also flagged the interplay between blockchain and artificial intelligence as a major accelerant. As AI agents begin to handle financial transactions, he said, “the rise of artificial intelligence is likely to pull blockchain adoption along with it,” and stressed that internet, blockchain and AI will be the three defining industries of his lifetime. “Any country that misses one of them is going to be severely disadvantaged,” he warned.
Geopolitically, Zhao noted uneven progress: Microsoft recently named the U.S. the leader in AI infrastructure, but other countries are making faster strides in specific crypto and digital-tool adoption. Switzerland has been highlighted as a hub for crypto innovation, while the UAE has outpaced the U.S. in everyday use of new digital systems.
Zhao’s takeaway for builders: focus on real utility. He has urged AI and blockchain developers to prioritize practical applications over launching tokens purely to raise capital — an approach he believes will accelerate mainstream acceptance and render “crypto” just another background technology.
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