Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao made a rare public appearance in Hong Kong Sunday, revealing he rarely trades cryptocurrency despite founding the world’s largest exchanges.
The appearance was particularly noteworthy as Zhao recently denied reports he would attend another Hong Kong crypto event on April 8. His presence at both the BNB Super Meetup and the MVB 9th event generated significant attention in the crypto community.
Market Concerns and Investment Advice
“The industry is not particularly healthy right now,” Zhao said during the BNB Super Meetup, criticizing excessive focus on meme coins. “We’re putting too much attention on quick gains.”
In a surprising admission, Zhao said, “I don’t speculate much. I don’t trade crypto much. I haven’t bought any meme coins.”
Zhao, worth approximately $66.6 billion, suggested several dozen to “over a hundred” cryptocurrencies could potentially outperform Bitcoin long-term, while emphasizing Bitcoin remains the most stable investment.
For newcomers, he recommended a disciplined approach “I strongly recommend young people invest a small amount each month that you can afford to lose,” he advised, endorsing dollar-cost averaging. “There’s no bad time to enter the market, but how you enter is very important.”
Past Mistakes
Zhao acknowledged mistakes in Binance’s approach to DeFi, admitting he failed to give proper attention to the BNB ecosystem while dealing with US legal issues.
“We didn’t focus enough on the BNB ecosystem. This was a big mistake.”
When asked about BNB’s future value, Zhao avoided specific predictions but emphasized that expanding use cases would naturally increase its value.
Personal Life
Zhao revealed numerous countries now seek his blockchain advice, including the UAE, United States, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan. “Now countries need us, and we can support them,” he said.
In a separate interview with Tron founder Justin Sun, Zhao discussed his digital education project aimed at providing free content to children worldwide. “With about $300 million, we could digitize 18 years of education across 30 subjects,” he explained.
Before the Super Meetup, Zhao appeared alongside Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin at BNB Chain’s MVB 9th event, where 16 projects were selected for an acceleration program.
When asked about his daily routine, Zhao said he typically works from bed due to back problems and enjoys kitesurfing in his free time. “Most of my time is spent working from bed because my back isn’t great,” he shared.
He completed a four-month prison sentence in September 2024 after pleading guilty to U.S. federal charges related to money laundering. Binance paid $4.3 billion in fines, while Zhao personally paid $50 million.
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