Changpeng Zhao dismisses Binance comeback, forecasts Bitcoin supercycle in 2026
Despite receiving a pardon from Donald Trump that could potentially enable his return, Binance's co-founder Changpeng Zhao insists the exchange has no need for a 'backseat driver.'
Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder of Binance, has definitively dismissed the possibility of returning to lead the cryptocurrency exchange, even though a presidential pardon from Donald Trump has technically made such a return legally feasible.
During an appearance on CNBC's Squawk Box this past Sunday, Zhao indicated that his interpretation of the pardon suggests all previous restrictions imposed on him "are completely lifted," yet he firmly dismissed any speculation about resuming his role at Binance.
"I haven't really needed to go back. I didn't really want to. I thought it was a pretty good way for me to step down, away from Binance after seven years," he said.
"At the time, it was very painful. I didn't like it. But after, you get used to it. I don't think it's good for me to go back. I think we should leave room for other strong leaders to grow," Zhao added.
A candid conversation from Davos - on prison, pardon, and what freedom means going forward. Full interview on @CNBC with @andrewrsorkin. Focused on building what's next.
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) January 25, 2026
In November 2023, Zhao entered a guilty plea to charges of failing to establish and maintain an effective Anti–Money Laundering program at Binance, subsequently receiving a four-month prison sentence while also being barred from any involvement with the exchange's operations.
The pardon granted by Trump in October attracted criticism from certain US lawmakers who raised concerns about Binance's connections to cryptocurrency ventures associated with Trump, though the former president claimed he had no knowledge of Zhao's identity.
Binance doesn't need a "backseat driver"
According to Zhao, Binance has maintained its momentum seamlessly since his departure, benefiting from the leadership of "two capable CEOs" while experiencing growth across multiple key performance indicators, including user numbers and market share expansion.
An open letter published in December last year by the exchange's leadership team, consisting of Richard Teng and Zhao's long-standing partner, Yi He, revealed that Binance's user base had grown to exceed 300 million users, while the platform's total product trading volume for the year reached $34 trillion.
"I just thought, look; they don't need a backseat driver today. I'm still a shareholder," Zhao said, adding that he is "just a pretty passive shareholder, and today when I want to give them advice, I just write it on Twitter."
Bitcoin super cycle on the cards for 2026
As the new year commenced, cryptocurrency prices and overall market sentiment have experienced a downturn. Nevertheless, Zhao is optimistic that Bitcoin (BTC) could undergo a super cycle within the coming 12 months, and similar to other industry observers, has raised the possibility that its traditional four-year cycle pattern may have come to an end.
According to CoinMarketCap, in economic terms, a supercycle represents a prolonged period of exceptional growth, signaling a fundamental transformation supported by robust fundamentals sustained across multiple years.
"Normally, Bitcoin follows four-year cycles, if you look at historic data every four years there's an all-time high, and then there's a drop," Zhao explained. "But I think this year, given the US being so pro crypto and every other country is kind of following, I do think we will see this; we will probably break the four-year cycle."