Key Highlights
- Binance founder Changpeng Zhao says Bitcoin could become more important than gold and potentially surpass it during the next major bull run.
- Gold is valued at about $32.4 trillion, while Bitcoin’s market cap is around $1.6 trillion, leaving Bitcoin with a large gap to close.
- Zhao says Bitcoin’s future depends on greater use in payments, government reserves, retirement funds and other parts of the financial system.
Bitcoin could overtake gold during the next major bull run, according to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.
He made this prediction at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong on Thursday, saying that Bitcoin is becoming more important as an asset and could eventually take a bigger place in government reserves and global finance.
Zhao was speaking during a session called “The Bitcoin Century” when he was asked whether Bitcoin could become more important than gold for governments. His answer was direct: “I think Bitcoin will, for sure, become more important than gold.” He later said the shift could happen “pretty soon” and possibly during the next bull run.
Gold still holds a big lead
Gold still has a large lead, with $32.4 trillion in market cap according to data from Gold Price, but Zhao said the gap between the two assets has fallen to about 10 times.
In simple terms, gold’s total market value is still around 10 times that of Bitcoin. For Bitcoin to overtake it, the cryptocurrency would need to attract a huge amount of new money and adoption. Bitcoin market cap is currently at $1.6 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Governments may take time to switch
Zhao said the biggest challenge is not Bitcoin itself. Instead, it is the system that countries have already built around gold. Governments have spent many years creating ways to value, store and manage gold as a reserve asset. Moving from that system to Bitcoin would therefore take time.
“For those countries to shift into Bitcoin will take time, but it will happen,” Zhao said.
CZ suggests a crypto reserve plan
He also said he often advises governments to create crypto reserves. His suggested plan would remove stablecoins and focus on the five largest cryptocurrencies by market value.
Under his example, Bitcoin would make up about 50% of the reserve, Ethereum would receive around 10% to 20%, while other large cryptocurrencies, including BNB, would also get a share. Zhao admitted the plan was “a little bit self-serving” because BNB, the token linked to the exchange he founded, would be included.
AI could drive more crypto use
Zhao also connected Bitcoin’s future to artificial intelligence. He expects AI agents, which are software systems that can act on their own, to start using crypto for transactions. He said stablecoins would likely be used first. Once AI systems can handle stablecoins, he believes adding Bitcoin would be much easier.
The discussion then moved to the growing cost of AI infrastructure. Zhao said he has spoken with several major AI companies about possible token launches because their current valuations may not be enough to fund the computing power they want. He estimated that one gigawatt of computing capacity can cost between $30 billion and $50 billion.
Some AI companies, he said, could want hundreds of gigawatts within a few years. That could push their infrastructure needs into the trillions of dollars.
One idea being discussed is a “data center token.” Such a token could give holders rewards or access to computing power. It could also be used for subscriptions and access to AI models.
Zhao expects AI to enter trading before it becomes common in everyday payments. He said trading requires people to collect large amounts of information quickly and respond to news just as fast. AI could make that process much more efficient, with Zhao estimating a possible tenfold improvement.
Bitcoin needs more real-world use
He also gave a long-term prediction for Bitcoin’s price, saying it could reach $1 million much sooner than some people expect. “It’s going to happen much quicker,” he said, while stressing that price is not the only thing Bitcoin needs.
Zhao said Bitcoin needs more real-world use, especially large-scale payments and a role as a retirement or pension reserve. For him, the bigger goal is not simply seeing Bitcoin reach a higher price, but seeing it become a widely used financial asset.
Also Read: Strategy (MSTR) Posts First Red Session After Five-Day Surge as Bitcoin Rally Pauses
