Miami – Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said a revived Binance.US is a possible path to giving American cryptocurrency 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 participation in the US market.
“The best liquidity in cryptocurrencies is outside the US,” CZ said during Miami Consensus 2026. “Cryptocurrencies are one of the few markets where the US does not have access to the best prices.”
“I think in our ecosystem, Binance has the best liquidity in this market,” he continued. “We would love to be able to offer that in some way, whether it’s revitalizing Binance.US or somehow providing us with the best liquidity in the world and the best prices for consumers.”
The comments come two years after CZ resigned as CEO of Binance and pleaded guilty to numerous charges in the United States. Zhao was subsequently sentenced to four months in prison, released in 2024 and pardoned by President Donald Trump last year.
Binance.US has been planning a comeback under the leadership of CEO Stephen Gregory, with plans to expand beyond cryptocurrency spot trading into derivatives and prediction markets.
CZ said U.S. policy toward cryptocurrencies had “changed in the last year and a half,” prompting him to spend more time with U.S. developers, regulators, and policymakers. He said the United States is now “leading the world in terms of crypto policies,” citing market structure legislation, including the CLARITY Act.
The United States still lacks access to deeper liquidity, he said, even as developers and crypto companies return after years of regulatory pressure.
“Many Americans left,” Zhao said. “They went to Abu Dhabi, they went to Hong Kong, Singapore. A lot of the developers left and now they’re coming back.”
Zhao also rated BNB Chain as underexposed in the US after years of limited domestic activity. He said the network now has a construction home in New York, a small presence in San Francisco and more investment activity in the United States through YZi Labs.
YZi Labs, formerly Binance Labs, changed its name last year and Zhao took on a more active investing role. The company later introduced a $1 billion fund for BNB chain projects.
“BNB in particular hasn’t had much exposure in the US… Other layer 1 blockchains have done a lot more marketing, community building, home building, etc., in the US.”
Zhao said U.S. institutions had had limited access to BNB until recently, leaving the token behind other major cryptocurrencies in exchange-traded products and institutional distribution.
“Institutions’ lack of access to BNB is actually an opportunity for BNB investors,” Zhao said. “When institutions come in, it’s generally better for the token.”
Zhao also said that AI agents will need crypto lanes to transact with each other, arguing that blockchains are more suitable than credit cards or banking lanes for automated cross-border payments.
“Credit cards don’t have APIs,” Zhao said. “The most native thing the agent can use is obviously a blockchain.”
He added that BNB Chain should be positioned as a payments infrastructure for AI agents, although he said the market is still in its early stages. “BNB Chain should simply be the money for brokers,” he said.
