Changpeng Zhao, founder of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, predicted that cryptocurrency will become the default currency for artificial intelligence agents during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Speaking alongside executives from ING Group, BNY Mellon, and Primavera Capital Group, CZ outlined his vision for how blockchain technology and AI will converge to transform the global financial landscape.
CZ identified artificial intelligence as one of three emerging sectors poised to fundamentally reshape finance.
He acknowledged that current AI technology remains limited in practical applications. "Today's AI still falls far short of intelligent agency—it can't book your flight or pay for your lunch," he noted. "But once it reaches that level, all payments will flow through cryptocurrency."
The prediction reflects growing industry interest in the intersection of AI and blockchain, as autonomous systems increasingly require seamless, programmable payment infrastructure.
Tokenization and Payments Round Out Top Three
Beyond AI, CZ pointed to tokenization and payments as major growth areas. On tokenization, he revealed active engagement with multiple governments.
Payments, however, remain an unsolved challenge. "We've tried, but haven't yet cracked it," CZ admitted. "To be precise, cryptocurrencies haven't meaningfully entered the payments space."
Still, he sees progress in hybrid solutions that combine traditional payment rails with crypto infrastructure—consumers swipe cards while crypto is deducted from their wallets, and merchants receive fiat settlement. "Once those bridges are built, payments will undergo a major transformation," he predicted.