Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (창펑 자오), also known as CZ, stressed that a long-term holding strategy in the cryptocurrency market is more effective than most trading tactics.

On Jan. 25, local time, blockchain outlet Cryptopolitan reported that CZ recently wrote on his X account, formerly Twitter, that he had seen many trading strategies but the most powerful was ultimately "Buy and Hold". He added, "Not financial advice." The remarks came after he mentioned World Economic Forum-related schedules, his past imprisonment and the clemency process.

CZ's remarks drew mixed reactions in the cryptocurrency community. Some investors agreed, saying long-term holding has provided more stable returns than short-term trading. One supporter said long-term holding makes time an ally and argued that most retail investors end up losing money through frequent trading.

Critical views also emerged. One investor said the holding strategy works in a bull market but can lead to large losses in a bear market, adding there were cases of investors who held assets after President Trump's inauguration suffering losses of up to 90 percent. Another view said the long-term holding strategy applies only to some large cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and Binance Coin (BNB).

Separately, CZ said in a recent CNBC Squawk Box interview that bitcoin is likely to rise while breaking its existing four-year cycle. He said he could not predict today's or tomorrow's price, but that it is very easy to predict when looking five or 10 years ahead. "We will go up," he said.

On Ark Invest's Cathie Wood (캐시 우드) forecast that bitcoin could reach $300,000 to $1.5 million by 2030, CZ said he agreed with broader optimism and mentioned the possibility of a bitcoin supercycle. He said the United States is adopting pro-crypto policies and other countries are following, which he said is why bitcoin could move away from its existing four-year cycle.

Bitcoin has typically shown a strong upward trend for about a year after a halving. The next halving is set for April 2028, and there is talk that an all-time high could be formed around the end of 2029.

CZ also said at a recent WEF Davos 2026 panel that he is discussing asset tokenisation with about 12 countries. He did not name specific countries or assets, but described it as a way for countries to raise capital by tokenising part of state-owned assets and selling them to citizens or investors, adding it resembles past privatisations of oil and telecommunications companies.

CZ has set up Giggle Academy and is participating in several projects including YZi Labs, and is mainly playing a mentor role in the BNB Chain ecosystem. He said he holds only a minority stake and that his main role is mentoring. He also mentioned in relation to a pardon from former President Trump that his psychological burden had been greatly reduced.

Earlier, CZ stepped down as CEO in 2023 after acknowledging that Binance had failed to properly comply with anti-money laundering rules and reaching a settlement with U.S. regulators. He said he did not expect a prison sentence based on similar past cases and described his time in custody as a "harsh experience".

CZ has stepped away from an official post, but still exerts significant influence on the market through comments and forecasts on the broader cryptocurrency industry.