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Binance Founder CZ Discusses 2026 Bear Market and Binance.US Liquidity Goals After 2024 Prison Term
Changpeng Zhao discussed crypto market conditions, his U.S. exchange strategy, and post-prison activities in CoinDesk interviews this month. Lawmakers passed related legislation last week amid ongoing bill negotiations.
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Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said investors shifting funds to AI, geopolitical events, and the standard four-year cycle all contributed to crypto's 2026 bear market. Zhao, who served four months in prison in 2024 for Bank Secrecy Act violations, spoke during a pair of CoinDesk interviews conducted earlier this month.
Platform. He remains majority shareholder in both exchanges but does not manage daily operations at either. Zhao said his visits to Washington aimed to address misunderstandings about himself and Binance.
He added that his guilty plea did not damage his reputation. Zhao said he has no interest in running a crypto exchange again and prefers to serve as an informal adviser to companies in which he has invested. Lawmakers passed a housing bill last week that included a temporary ban on the Federal Reserve issuing a central bank digital currency.
A reconciliation funding bill cleared Congress earlier this month. Negotiations continue on separate crypto legislation, with 20 working days remaining on the Senate calendar before September 1.
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