Changpeng Zhao said at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong that crypto’s next decade will be defined by heavy infrastructure buildout across several segments, including payments, AI, agentic financial infrastructure, stablecoins and tokenization. He argued that people often overestimate what can be done in one year but underestimate what can be built over 10 years, and said that long-term view matters when assessing where the market is headed.
Zhao also pointed to a sharp shift in traditional finance’s stance on Bitcoin over the past two years. He said tokenized stocks have expanded rapidly over the last year, adding that Binance’s bStocks business has grown quickly in roughly three months since launch. In his view, tokenized equities could become a major market over a 10-year horizon.
He added that Bitcoin itself is not the chain currently carrying tokenization activity, which is taking place mainly on other blockchains. Even so, Zhao said crypto sectors reinforce one another: users who start with Bitcoin often move on to learn about other chains and tokens, while people entering through tokenized equities may later gain Bitcoin exposure. He cited the difficulty many people in Asia face in opening U.S. brokerage accounts and dealing with U.S. market hours as one reason tokenized stocks could bring more users onto crypto platforms.
According to on-site reporting from Foresight News, Changpeng Zhao said at the Bitcoin Asia 2026 conference in Hong Kong that people often overestimate what can be done in one year and underestimate what can be achieved over 10 years, adding that a large amount of infrastructure will be built over the next decade.
Zhao said traditional finance’s attitude toward Bitcoin has changed dramatically over the past two years. He also said tokenized stocks have grown rapidly over the past year, and that Binance bStocks has expanded quickly in roughly three months since going live. Looking out over a 10-year period, he said, this could become a huge market.
He also named payments, AI, agentic financial infrastructure, stablecoins and tokenization as areas set for substantial development over the next decade, adding that this is the point in history with the most opportunity.
Zhao said the Bitcoin blockchain is not currently carrying tokenization business, with most tokenization activity taking place on other blockchains. Still, he said different parts of the crypto industry strengthen one another. People who learn about Bitcoin will eventually learn about other blockchains and tokens, while users who enter through tokenized stocks will also end up paying attention to Bitcoin.
As an example, Zhao said it is difficult for people in Asia to open U.S. stock brokerage accounts, and U.S. equity trading hours are also inconvenient. If stocks become tokenized, more people who previously could not trade U.S. equities would be able to participate through crypto platforms. Once on those platforms, he said, they may also begin to gain Bitcoin exposure they did not have before.
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