TheBlock
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said crypto will be the "native currency for AI", positioning BNB Chain as the settlement layer for machine-to-machine payments. The comments came Monday at a media briefing following BNB Standard's Nasdaq opening bell ceremony, where Zhao said AI agents could transact in bitcoin, existing stablecoins or tokens issued by AI companies themselves. "We hope to make the BNB Chain the major one, but that's still to be done," he said.
Why it matters
The pitch lands alongside a structural change in how BNB exposure is held in public markets. BNB Standard, the former CEA Industries, now controls the largest BNB treasury among publicly traded companies at more than 515,400 BNB, worth roughly $383.5 million. New CEO Alex Odagiu said the company will build an operating business on BNB Chain, starting with its own validator. "We're not here just to hold the asset," Odagiu said. The company also flagged payments and AI agents as future activity drivers for the network.
Zhao was candid on the friction still holding crypto payments back, admitting his own attempts are "pretty clunky" and suggesting startups target underserved markets and remittance routes before taking on Apple Pay or Google Pay in the US.
Market impact
The validator plan turns a passive treasury vehicle into an active network participant, a template other digital-asset treasury companies may follow. BNC shares traded around $5.36 Monday, still down nearly 17% year to date, so execution on the operating business is the beat to watch. Zhao also said he had discussed tokens tied to computing resources earlier in the day and wants to bring those onto BNB Chain, though details remain unspecified.
Frequently asked questions
-
Why does CZ think crypto is the native currency for AI?
Zhao argues AI agents need a way to pay and be paid autonomously, and says they could use bitcoin, existing stablecoins, or tokens launched by AI companies. He wants BNB Chain to become the major network for that activity, though he acknowledged it is still to be done.
-
What is BNB Standard and how much BNB does it hold?
BNB Standard, formerly CEA Industries, is a publicly traded company that controls the largest BNB treasury among public companies: more than 515,400 BNB, worth roughly $383.5 million. It trades under the BNC ticker and marked its rebrand at a Nasdaq opening bell ceremony.
-
What operating business will BNB Standard build on BNB Chain?
CEO Alex Odagiu said the company will start by running its own validator on BNB Chain, with payments and AI agents identified as potential future sources of network activity. He stressed the company is not a payments company for now.
-
What did CZ say about crypto payments usability?
Zhao admitted crypto payments remain a pain point, saying he tries to pay everything in crypto and finds it "pretty clunky" because of friction between which tokens users hold and which merchants accept. He suggested startups first target underserved markets and remittance routes.
-
How is BNC stock performing after the Nasdaq bell ceremony?
BNC shares traded around $5.36 on Monday and remain down nearly 17% year to date. The bell ringing followed a June governance overhaul that ended a proxy fight with largest shareholder YZi Labs and added Alex Odagiu, Ella Zhang and Matthew Roszak to the board.
WuBlockchain
Crypto News
Crypto Rank News
CryptoSlate
WatcherGuru
CoinTelegraph
CoinDesk