Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has re-emerged on the global stage as an advisor to sovereign governments. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the former Binance CEO said he is in talks with around a dozen countries on tokenizing state-owned assets.
Speaking on a panel in Davos, Zhao, who is officially "retired" from Binance, signaled a significant pivot from corporate leadership to global crypto advocacy.
From Exchange Builder to Sovereign Advisor
His new focus is on helping governments raise capital by turning national assets—like state-owned oil or telecom firms—into tradable, blockchain-based tokens.
“I’m talking with probably a dozen governments about tokenizing some of their assets,” Zhao said. “This way the government can actually realize the financial gains first and use that to develop those industries.”
This is not just theoretical. Zhao's claims are backed by a history of high-level government engagement. He has previously served as an advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council and has held discussions with officials in Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan regarding their digital asset strategies.
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His new position as a "dealmaker-at-large" untethered from a single exchange allows him to act as a more neutral advocate for the technology itself.
It marks a new phase in the industry's maturation, where influential figures can drive adoption at the national level, independent of their former corporate roles.
Payments Remain the Hardest Part
Adding a dose of realism to the discussion, Zhao also candidly admitted that crypto has so far failed to conquer the world of everyday payments. “Payments is something that we have tried and not really conquered,” he noted. “We’ve tried, but nobody really pays in crypto.”
However, he pointed to the future, suggesting that the native currency for artificial intelligence (AI) agents will inevitably be cryptocurrencies, creating a massive new use case for digital payments.
Zhao’s appearance at Davos is his most high-profile since being pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025 for anti-money laundering violations.
While he has publicly stated he has no plans to return to Binance, his active engagement with world governments confirms that he remains one of the most influential figures in the digital asset space, now operating on a new, sovereign stage.
