MIAMI — Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said that reviving Binance.US is a possible way to get better prices for U.S. cryptocurrency traders.
Binance wants to help restore access to global cryptocurrency liquidity to U.S. users, CZ said, noting that a resurgence of Binance.US could be one avenue after years of limited participation in the U.S. market.
CZ said at Consensus Miami 2026: “The best liquidity for cryptocurrencies is outside the United States. Cryptocurrencies are one of the very few markets where the United States does not get the best prices.”
“I think within our ecosystem, Binance has the best liquidity in this market,” he continued. “We hope to be able to provide this in some way that either revitalizes Binance.US or in some way provides the United States with 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 multiple U.S. charges. Zhao was later sentenced to four months in prison, released in 2024, and pardoned by President Donald Trump last year.
Binance.US has been plotting a comeback under CEO Stephen Gregory, with plans to expand beyond spot cryptocurrency trading into derivatives and prediction markets.
CZ said U.S. policy on cryptocurrencies has “changed in the last year and a half or so,” prompting him to spend more time engaging with U.S. builders, regulators and policymakers. He said the United States now “leads the world in cryptocurrency policy,” citing market structure legislation including the Clarification Act.
He said that even as developers and cryptocurrency companies return after years of regulatory pressure, the United States still lacks access to the deepest liquidity.
“Many Americans left,” Zhao said. “They went to Abu Dhabi, they went to Hong Kong, Singapore. A lot of developers left and now they’re coming back.”
Zhao also believes that BNB Chain has received insufficient exposure in the United States due to limited domestic activity over the years. He said the network now has a builder’s firm in New York, a small office in San Francisco and more U.S. investment activity through YZi Labs.
YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs) underwent a rebrand last year, with Zhao taking a more active investment role. The company later introduced a $1 billion fund for the BNB Chain project.
“BNB in particular doesn’t have much exposure in the US…other first-tier blockchains do more marketing, community building, builders’ homes, etc. in the US”
Zhao said that until recently, U.S. institutional use of BNB was restricted, leaving the token behind other major cryptocurrencies in terms of exchange-traded products and institutional issuance.
“The inability of institutions to acquire BNB is actually an opportunity for BNB investors,” Zhao said. “When institutions get involved, it’s usually better for the token.”
Zhao also said that AI agents will need cryptographic rails to transact with each other, arguing that blockchain is better suited for automating cross-border payments than credit card or bank rails.
“Credit cards don’t have APIs,” Zhao said. “The most native thing that agents use is obviously blockchain.”
He added that BNB Chain should position itself as a payment infrastructure for AI agents, although he said the market is still in its early stages. “BNB Chain should just be money for agents,” he said.
