‘Retired’ and Pardoned, CZ Pivots to Sovereign Tokenization Advisor for a Dozen Nations

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Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has re-emerged on the worldwide stage as an advisor to sovereign governments. On the World Financial Discussion board in Davos, the previous Binance CEO mentioned he's in talks with round a dozen international locations on tokenizing state-owned property.

Talking on a panel in Davos, Zhao, who's formally "retired" from Binance, signaled a big pivot from company management to international crypto advocacy.

From Trade Builder to Sovereign Advisor

His new focus is on serving to governments elevate capital by turning nationwide property—like state-owned oil or telecom companies—into tradable, blockchain-based tokens.

“I’m speaking with in all probability a dozen governments about tokenizing a few of their property,” Zhao mentioned. “This fashion the federal government can really notice the monetary features first and use that to develop these industries.”

This isn't simply theoretical. Zhao's claims are backed by a historical past of high-level authorities engagement. He has beforehand served as an advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council and has held discussions with officers in Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan concerning their digital asset methods.

His new place as a "dealmaker-at-large" untethered from a single change permits him to behave as a extra impartial advocate for the expertise itself.

It marks a brand new section within the trade's maturation, the place influential figures can drive adoption on the nationwide stage, unbiased of their former company roles.

CZ: "I'M TALKING WITH PROBABLY A DOZEN GOVERNMENTS ABOUT TOKENIZING SOME OF THEIR ASSETS." pic.twitter.com/MiVeCeAaxo

— The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) January 22, 2026 Funds Stay the Hardest Half

Including a dose of realism to the dialogue, Zhao additionally candidly admitted that crypto has thus far failed to overcome the world of on a regular basis funds.

“Funds is one thing that we've tried and not likely conquered,” he famous. “We’ve tried, however no person actually pays in crypto.”

Nonetheless, he pointed to the longer term, suggesting that the native foreign money for synthetic intelligence (AI) brokers will inevitably be cryptocurrencies, creating an enormous new use case for digital funds.

Zhao’s look at Davos is his most high-profile since being pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025 for anti-money laundering violations.

Whereas he has publicly acknowledged he has no plans to return to Binance, his lively engagement with world governments confirms that he stays one of the influential figures within the digital asset house, now working on a brand new, sovereign stage.