Davos 2026: Binance Founder CZ 1/25/26

Squawk Pod

CNBC

Business News, News, Investing, Business

4.2 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2026

⏱️ 21 minutes

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Summary

After serving 4 months in prison and receiving a pardon from President Trump, Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao sits down with Andrew Ross Sorkin at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In an exclusive and candid interview, CZ reflects on his time in prison and what he would do differently, if he were starting Binance again. Plus, CZ shares his expectations for crypto in the coming year. In this episode: Changpeng Zhao, @cz_binance Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin Cameron Costa, @CameronCostaNY

Transcript

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0:00.0	My first roommate is a double murder, but he's been there for like 12 years.
0:09.0	He still have 18 years to go, and then he got moved to a low security prison.
0:13.2	A nice guy.
0:14.2	Chang Peng Zhao, known as CZ, Binance's founder and former CEO, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
0:22.6	A rare and exclusive interview after his time in prison and after his controversial pardon from President Trump.
0:31.6	I was a free man before, but with a felon status.
0:35.6	It is a very candid interview.
0:41.3	He addresses questions about Binance's relationship with the Trump family's crypto venture.
0:46.3	Plus, what's next for the founder of the world's largest crypto exchange?
0:51.3	I'm a developer. I build systems. I don't trade.
0:55.0	And what's next for crypto?
0:57.0	He's a hodler.
0:58.0	I have very strong feelings that you will probably be a super cycle.
1:01.0	Be a super cycle?
1:02.0	2026, yeah.
1:03.0	For Bitcoin.
1:04.0	For Bitcoin.
1:05.0	I'm CNBC producer Cameron Costa.
1:07.0	Squawk Pod reports from Davos,
1:09.0	2026, finance founder, CZ, begins right now.
1:18.3	A lot of interesting people come to the World Economic Forum in Davos, and this year, one
1:29.6	attendee was Chengpeng Zau. Known as Cezzi, he founded and once led the world's largest
	...

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