CZ on America’s Crypto Comeback, the Rise of AI Agents, and BNB

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, joined Consensus Chairman Michael Lau on the Consensus Miami mainstage to discuss his return to the U.S., the future of BNB Chain and why blockchain is critical to the rise of AI agents. The conversation covered crypto regulation, institutional adoption, agentic payments and how AI could transform commerce and investing. CZ also reflects on life after Binance and his focus on mentoring founders, advising governments and supporting blockchain infrastructure for the AI era. - Timecodes: 0:00 CZ's Surprise In-Person Appearance at Consensus 2026 in Miami 1:00 Why CZ Is Re-Engaging With the US 4:00 Bringing Liquidity Back to America 5:30 The Case for BNB Chain 7:35 Rapid Fire: RWAs, Institutions, Conferences 8:45 Crypto as the Native Currency of AI Agents 11:30 Agentic Payments and AI-Powered Trading 14:30 Making BNB Chain AI-Ready 15:45 Life After Binance: Who Is CZ Today? 18:00 Mentoring Founders, Advising Governments - #cryptocurrency #digitalfinance #finance #bitcoin #crypto Subscribe to CoinDesk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CoinDesk?sub_confirmation=1 CoinDesk is the leading digital media, events and information services company for the crypto asset and blockchain technology community. Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/coindesk LinkedIn: https://www.din.com/company/coindesk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coindesk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoinDesk Newsletters: https://www.coindesk.com/newsletters CoinDesk Podcast Network: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jyIhkvAQhed8AWDZiPpSP Public Keys: https://open.spotify.com/show/1rqYzRV10nfKfoTpFXZhTE Markets Daily Crypto Roundup: https://open.spotify.com/show/7sDXM8BlxsUqzL2IqmLqwE The Policy Protocol: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Fh8ffulAWcCqMu0uVuwoj