Binance co-founder CZ rules out return, 2026 Bitcoin supercycle
Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao said he does not plan to return to the cryptocurrency exchange, despite a pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump that he believes has lifted prior restrictions on his involvement.
Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Sunday, Zhao said his understanding is that the pardon means previous limits are “completely lifted,” but he dismissed the idea of resuming a role at Binance. Zhao said stepping away after seven years allowed leadership to develop without him and that he does not think returning would be appropriate.
Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to failing to maintain an effective anti–money laundering program at Binance. He was sentenced to four months in prison and barred from working at the exchange. Trump granted Zhao a pardon in October, a move that drew scrutiny from some U.S. lawmakers over Binance’s connections to crypto ventures linked to Trump. Trump has said he did not know who Zhao was.
Zhao says Binance is performing well without his return
Zhao said Binance has continued to operate smoothly since his departure, citing “two capable CEOs” and growth across several metrics, including users and market share.
In a December open letter last year, the exchange’s leadership, Richard Teng and Zhao’s long-time partner Yi He, said Binance’s user base had surpassed 300 million and total product trading volume for the year reached $34 trillion.
Zhao added that he remains a shareholder but takes a passive role. When he offers suggestions, he said he shares them publicly on Twitter.
Zhao sees potential for a Bitcoin supercycle in 2026
Despite weaker crypto prices and sentiment early in the year, Zhao forecast that Bitcoin (BTC) could enter a supercycle within the next 12 months and suggested the asset’s typical four-year pattern may no longer apply.
According to CoinMarketCap, a supercycle is a prolonged period of outsized growth driven by strong fundamentals over many years.
Zhao said Bitcoin has historically followed four-year cycles marked by a new all-time high followed by a decline. He added that with the U.S. taking a more supportive stance toward crypto and other countries following, the market could break from that cycle this year.
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