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Binance co-founder Changpeng \u2018CZ\u2019 Zhao believes blockchain and cryptocurrency are on a path to becoming as common and unnoticed as the internet within the next five years.<\/p>\n
\n Summary<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaking on Scott Melker\u2019s Wolf of All Streets podcast on Thursday, Zhao explained<\/a> that the goal for the industry is to reach a stage where the underlying technology is no longer the main topic of conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n He compared the current phase of crypto to the early days of the web, suggesting that the technical jargon will eventually fade into the background.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping that we don\u2019t talk about crypto as crypto in five years, just like we don\u2019t talk about the internet anymore, we don\u2019t talk about TCP\/IP, we don\u2019t talk about HTML, JavaScript, etc. We don\u2019t talk about that stuff anymore. We just use it,\u201d Zhao said.<\/p>\n The drive toward mainstream use is backed by recent data and industry forecasts. Figures from DemandSage show<\/a> that global crypto users have reached an estimated 559 million in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Financial institutions are also preparing for this transition; a Citi survey<\/a> from last September revealed that most banks and asset managers expect tokenized securities and stablecoins to handle 10% of global post-trade market turnover in less than five years.<\/p>\n Looking further ahead, ARK Invest recently projected that the digital asset market could reach $28 trillion by 2030. Other industry leaders, such as Tether co-founder Reeve Collins, expect nearly all traditional currencies to eventually transition into stablecoins.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chainalysis has shared<\/a> an even more aggressive outlook, estimating that stablecoin volumes could reach $1.5 quadrillion by 2035.<\/p>\n Zhao noted that the rise of artificial intelligence is likely to pull blockchain adoption along with it, particularly as AI agents begin to handle financial transactions<\/a>. He suggested that the combination of these technologies is now essential for national competitiveness.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s really three big industries in my adult lifetime: the internet, blockchain and AI. Any country that misses one of them is going to be severely disadvantaged,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While Microsoft recently identified the United States as the leader in AI infrastructure, other nations are moving faster in specific areas of adoption.\u00a0<\/p>\n Signzy and Arkham have both highlighted<\/a> Switzerland as a top hub for crypto innovation, while the United Arab Emirates has outpaced the U.S. in the actual day-to-day usage of new digital tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n To keep pace, Zhao previously advised AI developers<\/a> to focus on the practical utility of their tools rather than simply launching new tokens to raise money.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n\n\n
The role of AI and global competition<\/h2>\n