Ex-Binance chief executive Changpeng Zhao argued that digital assets will serve as the “native currency for AI” while detailing his outlook for the platform’s BNB Chain.
These remarks were delivered on Monday during a press gathering following the Nasdaq opening bell ceremony for BNB Standard.
Zhao, widely recognized as “CZ”, noted that artificial intelligence might utilize bitcoin, current stablecoins, or upcoming coins created by AI ventures, but he aims for BNB Chain to emerge as a primary network for that sector.
“We aim to position the BNB Chain as the leading one, though that work remains ahead of us,” he remarked during the press event attended by The Block.
Zhao additionally mentioned that he had conversed about compute-power tokens earlier that day and intends to integrate those assets into BNB Chain, although he did not provide further details.
BNB Standard, previously known as CEA Industries, recently celebrated its new moniker and the selection of Alex Odagiu as CEO. The enterprise, continuing to trade under the BNC stock symbol, updated its name last month.
BNB Standard presently maintains the biggest BNB reserve held by any publicly listed firm, holding in excess of 515,400 BNB valued at approximately $383.5 million.
Active BNB strategy
Odagiu stated that BNB Standard intends to develop an operational enterprise on BNB Chain, beginning with operating its personal validator node.
“We aren’t present solely to keep the token,” Odagiu stated throughout the bell ringing event. “We are here to establish a working business on BNB Chain.”
During the briefing, Odagiu highlighted settlements and autonomous AI agents as prospective future drivers of transactions for the ecosystem, while emphasizing that BNB Standard does not currently operate as a payment provider.
CZ likewise conceded that digital currency transactions continue to present friction for the typical consumer.
“I attempt to settle all transactions via crypto, and the experience remains rather cumbersome,” he remarked, addressing the discrepancy between tokens owned by consumers and those accepted by vendors.
He advised that emerging ventures ought to initially target overlooked regions and cross-border money transfer corridors instead of immediately attempting to challenge Apple Pay or Google Pay within the United States.
BNB Standard overhaul
Today’s market bell event follows a corporate governance restructuring at BNB Standard. Back in June, the organization resolved a proxy contest involving its primary investor, YZi Labs, featuring an accord that successfully appointed Odagiu, Ella Zhang, and Matthew Roszak to the board of directors.
BNC shares changed hands around $5.36 on Monday. The equity asset is still lower by roughly 17% since the start of the year.
Originally published at https://www.theblock.co/news/ecosystems/2026-10-26-cz-pitches-bnb-chains-role-ai-bnb-standard-rings-nasdaq-bell-431790.
