Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, widely known as CZ, said at Bitcoin Asia 2026 that he cannot say with confidence what the next defining crypto bull-market theme will be, even though several sectors already look strong. He named real-world assets, or RWA, and artificial intelligence as two of the strongest current narratives. He also said stablecoins, centralized exchanges, decentralized exchanges, meme coins, and DeFi are likely to keep growing, while NFTs could return in some form.
CZ framed his comments as a reminder that major crypto trends are often difficult to call before they arrive. He said that in early 2017 he would not have predicted IC0, yet his team was working on IC0 half a year later. He added that six months before the NFT boom, he also could not see that wave coming. In his view, the next major trend will be created by founders and builders rather than cleanly forecast in advance.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, said at the Bitcoin Asia 2026 conference on Aug. 27 that the next major crypto bull-market theme remains difficult to predict, even as several sectors already show strong momentum.
CZ said RWA and AI both look very strong at the moment. He also said stablecoins will keep growing, centralized exchanges will keep growing, DEXs will keep growing, meme coins will keep growing, and DeFi will keep growing. NFTs, he added, could also return in some form.
"So I think a lot of things will continue to grow. I don’t know what the next hot trend is. That is very hard to predict," CZ said.
He pointed to earlier market cycles to explain why. In early 2017, he said, he would not have predicted IC0, but half a year later they were working on IC0. He also said that six months before the NFT boom, he still could not predict it.
According to CZ, the next big theme will depend on entrepreneurs, including those in the audience and others building outside the event. "You create the next big thing," he said.
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