Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao said he hopes people will stop talking about “crypto” as a distinct topic within five years, much like few people now discuss the internet’s underlying protocols while using online services every day. Speaking on Scott Melker’s Wolf of All Streets podcast, Zhao said the industry’s real target is a stage where blockchain works in the background and the technology itself no longer dominates the conversation.
He compared the current state of crypto with the early web era, when terms such as TCP/IP, HTML, and JavaScript were part of public discussion because the technology was still new. Once the internet became embedded in daily life, those terms faded from mainstream attention. Zhao expects blockchain and digital assets to follow a similar path.
Adoption data and institutional forecasts point to broader use
Recent figures and market projections were cited as support for that view. Data from DemandSage estimates that the number of global crypto users reached 559 million in 2026. That figure suggests digital assets are no longer limited to a narrow user base and are moving deeper into mainstream usage.
Large financial institutions are also preparing for structural change. A Citi survey published last September found that most banks and asset managers expect tokenized securities and stablecoins to account for 10% of global post-trade market turnover in less than five years. The implication is less about short-term price moves and more about how financial plumbing could shift.
Longer-range projections are even larger. ARK Invest recently said the digital asset market could reach $28 trillion by 2030. Tether co-founder Reeve Collins has said that nearly all traditional currencies may eventually transition into stablecoins. Chainalysis offered a more aggressive estimate, saying stablecoin volumes could hit $1.5 quadrillion by 2035.
Zhao ties blockchain adoption to AI and national competitiveness
Zhao also linked blockchain adoption to the rise of artificial intelligence. He said AI agents handling financial transactions are likely to bring blockchain usage with them, making the two technologies increasingly connected. In his view, this is no longer just an industry question. It has become a competitiveness question for countries.
He said the three major industries of his adult lifetime are the internet, blockchain, and AI, and that any country missing one of them will be severely disadvantaged. The remark framed adoption in geopolitical terms, not only commercial ones.
Current rankings already vary by sector. Microsoft recently identified the United States as the leader in AI infrastructure. Signzy and Arkham have both pointed to Switzerland as a leading center for crypto innovation. The United Arab Emirates, according to the article, has moved ahead of the U.S. in day-to-day usage of new digital tools.
Zhao has also previously advised AI builders to focus on practical utility instead of launching new tokens simply to raise funds. His broader point is that blockchain reaches maturity when people keep using products built on it without needing to talk about the technology itself.