Binance Founder CZ Says Bitcoin's $60K 'Winter' Is Normal – And Predicts Stablecoins Could Grow ‘Thousands Of Times’ From Here

CZ dismissed concerns about Strategy's Bitcoin holdings, arguing the company is not a systemic risk to the broader market.

• CZ said Bitcoin's drop to around $60,000 reflects normal crypto-cycle "mass psychology," noting prices remain far above the 2022 bear-market low.
• The Binance founder called stablecoins crypto's biggest untapped opportunity, saying the sector could grow "a couple of thousand times" from its current size.
• Zhao identified AI-powered payments as the next major catalyst, predicting AI agents could begin transacting on-chain within months.

As Bitcoin (BTC) struggles to regain momentum, Binance (BNB) founder Changpeng Zhao is urging investors to look beyond the price chart. The former Binance CEO said that Bitcoin’s fall to $60,000 is a normal cyclical winter caused by “mass psychology,” adding that the price is still three to four times higher than the last Bitcoin winter floor of $16,000.

Zhao, famously known as “CZ,” explained on a Yahoo Finance podcast on Monday that the current mood “feels like” the November 2022 bottom that followed the FTX collapse, but the actual price is far above it. “I actually think it’s just mass psychology,” he added, saying that humans overreact in both directions, creating bubbles on the way up and panic on the way down, while the underlying industry keeps growing.

Bitcoin’s price was down over 2% during the past 24 hours, trading at $62,202. On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment around BTC remained in the ‘neutral’ zone, while chatter around it stayed in the ‘low’ levels over the past day.

The Real Story: AI Payments And Stablecoins

“Stablecoins are the biggest undeveloped opportunity in crypto,” Zhao said, adding that the market cap of around $200 billion “isn’t that big” and forecasting “a couple of thousand times” more growth. 

He also argued that every currency should have its own stablecoin, with foreign exchange rates set “24/7 on the blockchain,” a vision that builds on the GENIUS Act-driven stablecoin expansion already underway in the US.

Zhao also identified AI payments as the next big catalyst, differentiating between current AI agents that can search for the cheapest ticket and near-future agents that will actually buy it. “I would assume it’s in months, not years,” Zhao said, noting that AI companies will look to crypto as the fastest path to global payment adoption, a thesis he has been pushing through Binance’s “Binance-Level Brain” push for AI agents.

Strategy Isn't A Systemic Risk

Zhao also dismissed the focus on Strategy Inc’s (MSTR) recent Bitcoin sales, saying that the sale of 32 BTC earlier this month was around 0.001% of the company’s holdings. “We cannot definitively say that the market crashes are related to that. The timing was coincidental," he explained.

Additionally, the Binance founder rejected the notion that Strategy presents a “systemic risk” to Bitcoin, noting that the company holds around 1% of supply and the market could absorb forced selling even if its stake grew to 5% to 10%, with any short-term price impact creating entries for long-term buyers.

“If they want to sell everything quickly, then they will have an impact on market price, but I think the market is pretty decentralized, even if they hold… but whenever people [have] to understand, no matter where the price is, they're always buyers. So, when you're selling at a low price, other people are buying, so there are opportunities for other people.” - Changpeng Zhao, Binance Founder.

Blockchain Data Suggests Potential Undervaluation

On-chain data supports “discount, not a top” view. Near $64,000, Checkonchain’s Mean Reversion Index rates Bitcoin a 17 out of 100 on a 0-to-100 scale, suggesting it is undervalued and below the $77,000 “true market mean” it views as fair value, with the $54,000 realized price marking deeper support. 

The remarks echo Zhao's earlier framing that crypto has already lived through its "darkest quarter," suggesting he sees the current drawdown as the tail end of the cycle rather than the start of a deeper downturn.

BNB’s price was down by 4% during the past 24 hours. On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment around BNB moved to ‘neutral’ from ‘bearish’ territory, while chatter around it stayed in the ‘high’ levels over the past day. 

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