Miami – Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said a revived Binance.US is a possible way to give US crypto traders access to better prices.
Binance wants to help restore US users’ access to global crypto-liquidity, CZ said, naming a possible revival of Binance.US as one route after years of limited involvement in the US market.
“The best liquidity in crypto is outside of the US,” CZ said during Consensus Miami 2026. “Crypto is one of the very few markets that the US doesn’t have access to at the best prices.”
“I think Binance in our ecosystem has the best liquidity in this market,” he continued. “We would love to be able to deliver that in some way, either revitalizing Binance.US or somehow giving the US the best liquidity in the world and the best prices for consumers.”
The comments come two years after CZ resigned as Binance CEO and pleaded guilty to several US charges. Zhao was later sentenced to four months in prison, released in 2024 and pardoned by President Donald Trump last year.
Binance.US has planned a comeback under CEO Stephen Gregory with plans to expand beyond spot crypto trading into derivatives and prediction markets.
CZ said U.S. policy toward crypto had “changed in the last year and a half or so,” pushing him to spend more time with U.S. developers, regulators and policymakers. He said the U.S. is now a “world leader in crypto policies,” citing market structure legislation, including the CLARITY Act.
The U.S. still lacks access to the deepest liquidity, he said, even as developers and crypto firms bounce back after years of regulatory pressure.
“A lot of the American people left,” Zhao said. “They went to Abu Dhabi, they went to Hong Kong, Singapore. A lot of the developers left and then they’re coming back now.”
Zhao also framed BNB Chain as underexposed in the US after years of limited domestic activity. He said the network now has a build house in New York, a small San Francisco presence and more US investment activity through YZi Labs.
YZi Labs, formerly Binance Labs, rebranded last year, with Zhao taking a more active investment role. The firm later introduced a $1 billion fund for BNB Chain projects.
“BNB in particular has not had much exposure in the US, … Other layer 1 blockchains have done a lot more marketing, community building, builder houses, etc., in the US”
Zhao said US institutions had limited access to BNB until recently, leaving the token behind other major cryptocurrencies in exchange-traded products and institutional distribution.
“The lack of institutional access to BNB is actually an opportunity for BNB investors,” Zhao said. “When the institutions come in, it’s generally better for the token.”
Zhao also said AI agents will need crypto tokens to transact with each other, arguing that blockchains are better suited than credit cards or bank tokens for automated cross-border payments.
“Credit cards don’t have an API,” Zhao said. “Obviously, the most native thing for the agent to use is a blockchain.”
He added that BNB Chain should position itself as the payment infrastructure for AI agents, although he said the market is still in its earliest stages. “BNB Chain should just be the money for agents,” he said.
