Binance co-founder Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao believes blockchain and cryptocurrency are on a path to becoming as common and unnoticed as the internet within the next five years.

Speaking on Scott Melker’s Wolf of All Streets podcast on Thursday, Zhao explained that the goal for the industry is to reach a stage where the underlying technology is no longer the main topic of conversation. 

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.

“I’m hoping that we don’t talk about crypto as crypto in five years, just like we don’t talk about the internet anymore, we don’t talk about TCP/IP, we don’t talk about HTML, JavaScript, etc. We don’t talk about that stuff anymore. We just use it,” Zhao said.

Growing adoption and market forecasts

The drive toward mainstream use is backed by recent data and industry forecasts. Figures from DemandSage show that global crypto users have reached an estimated 559 million in 2026. 

Financial institutions are also preparing for this transition; a Citi survey 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.

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. 

Chainalysis has shared an even more aggressive outlook, estimating that stablecoin volumes could reach $1.5 quadrillion by 2035.

The role of AI and global competition

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. He suggested that the combination of these technologies is now essential for national competitiveness.

“I think there’s 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,” he said.

While Microsoft recently identified the United States as the leader in AI infrastructure, other nations are moving faster in specific areas of adoption. 

Signzy and Arkham have both highlighted 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. 

To keep pace, Zhao previously advised AI developers to focus on the practical utility of their tools rather than simply launching new tokens to raise money.