CZ and Standard Chartered See Bright Future for Bitcoin and BNB

Two influential voices in the cryptocurrency space—Binance co-founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and global asset manager Standard Chartered—have issued bullish long-term projections for leading digital assets Bitcoin and BNB. 

CZ believes Bitcoin could rise to $1 million during the current market cycle, supported by increasing institutional adoption through spot ETFs and sovereign accumulation. Meanwhile, Standard Chartered forecasts that BNB could more than double in value by the end of 2025 and reach $2,775 by 2028, citing its strong correlation with Bitcoin and Ethereum and the continued dominance of Binance’s exchange platform.

CZ Predicts Bitcoin Could Reach $1 Million in Current Market Cycle, Citing Institutional and Governmental Adoption

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, co-founder of Binance and one of the most influential voices in the cryptocurrency industry, has made one of his boldest predictions yet: Bitcoin could surge to as high as $1 million during the current market cycle. In a wide-ranging interview with Rug Radio published on May 5, Zhao pointed to a confluence of accelerating trends—including institutional investment through spot Bitcoin ETFs and direct government accumulation—as key drivers of the bullish outlook.

“There’s the ETFs. There’s this institutionalization of Bitcoin … it’s a positive in terms of price action, obviously. Our bags are up — not the alt‑coins as much, but at least Bitcoin is,” Zhao said.

Zhao’s remarks highlight what many in the crypto community are witnessing firsthand: traditional financial institutions are finally entering the space in a meaningful way. He credited the recent explosion in spot Bitcoin ETFs as a primary reason for the asset’s upward momentum.

Indeed, this institutional wave has not gone unnoticed by analysts. Alex Obchakevich, founder of Obchakevich Research, recently said that institutional money now accounts for the lion’s share of Bitcoin’s recent gains.

He added that ETFs, particularly those tracking Bitcoin, are acting as a key engine behind the bullish trend, even though they may be accompanied by short-term volatility.

Governments Join the Bitcoin Movement

Beyond Wall Street, sovereign states are also quietly ramping up their Bitcoin holdings. Zhao emphasized this growing trend, calling it both a validation of Bitcoin’s role in the financial system and a catalyst for its price.

His comments come just days after El Salvador—the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender—announced the purchase of an additional 7 BTC, bringing its total to nearly 6,170 BTC, valued at around $580 million. The country has remained resolute in its Bitcoin acquisition strategy despite criticisms from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund.

Bhutan, too, is making moves. Reports from January 2025 revealed that the Himalayan kingdom is planning a new economic hub with a strategic reserve of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ether, as part of its long-term financial infrastructure.

Zhao also pointed to a surprising new tailwind: the reversal of anti-crypto sentiment at the highest levels of US government. With the election of President Donald Trump, Zhao observed a stark pivot in national policy toward embracing digital assets.

A Warning for Retail Investors

While his tone was generally optimistic, Zhao offered a sobering observation for latecomers to the Bitcoin party. “Retail had 15 years to buy,” he said. “If they’re late now, that was their choice.”

This comment signals a growing sentiment in the crypto space: the era of easy retail accumulation may be drawing to a close as institutional and governmental actors increasingly dominate the market.

Zhao’s forecast of $500,000 to $1 million per BTC is not without precedent. Similar predictions have been made by ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood and others, but it’s Zhao’s unique vantage point—both as an industry veteran and the former head of the world’s largest crypto exchange—that gives the statement added weight.

His bullish case hinges on continued institutional flows via ETFs, further sovereign accumulation, and favorable political developments—particularly in the United States. While skeptics may balk at such lofty numbers, the convergence of these powerful forces presents a compelling narrative that could reshape the financial landscape in the years ahead.

Standard Chartered Predicts BNB Could Surge to $2,775 by 2028, Citing Price Parity With Bitcoin and Ethereum

Meanwhile, global banking giant and asset manager Standard Chartered has issued a bullish long-term forecast for BNB, the native cryptocurrency of Binance’s BNB Chain, projecting that the token could more than double in value by the end of 2025 and climb nearly fivefold to $2,775 by 2028.

The forecast, included in a newly published analyst report, comes as the digital asset trades around $598 per token, with a fully diluted valuation of approximately $84 billion, according to CoinMarketCap data. Standard Chartered’s analysis suggests a strong upward trajectory for BNB, driven by its price correlation with Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as the continued dominance of Binance as a global exchange player.

“BNB has traded almost exactly in line with an unweighted basket of Bitcoin and Ethereum since May 2021 in terms of both returns and volatility,” wrote Geoff Kendrick, head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered. “We expect this relationship to continue to hold, driving BNB’s price from around $600 currently to $2,775 by end-2028.”

Price forecasts for BNB (Source: Standard Chartered)

In a broader market context, Standard Chartered’s research points to BNB potentially emerging as a benchmark asset within the crypto space. While Bitcoin has long been regarded as the standard-bearer for store-of-value narratives and Ethereum as the innovation engine behind decentralized applications, BNB’s close tracking of both assets may position it as a market “average” in terms of price performance and sentiment.

“Given this, we see potential for BNB to serve as a form of benchmark, or average, for digital asset prices more broadly,” Kendrick stated in the report.

This benchmark hypothesis hinges largely on the assumption that Binance—the world’s largest centralized exchange by trading volume—continues to maintain its market dominance. As long as Binance retains this stature, the token that underpins its operations is unlikely to experience significant deviation from its current value model.

A Conservative but Stable Ecosystem

Despite its impressive valuation and performance projections, BNB’s underlying blockchain—BNB Chain—is not known for groundbreaking innovation or developer growth. Compared to developer-rich ecosystems like Ethereum, Solana, or Avalanche, BNB Chain has often been viewed as “old-fashioned,” a term used directly in the report.

BNB’s ecosystem is heavy on DEXs (Source: Standard Chartered)

Nonetheless, Standard Chartered interprets this conservative composition as a potential stabilizing factor. The report highlighted that more than 60% of BNB Chain’s on-chain activity stems from decentralized exchanges (DEXs), suggesting a reliable and transaction-heavy user base that isn't as susceptible to speculative or fleeting trends like NFTs or meme coins.

While this concentration may limit the diversity of applications on BNB Chain, it also reinforces its utility within DeFi, making it an efficient and predictable platform—especially appealing for institutions that prioritize consistency and scalability.

Standard Chartered’s optimistic forecast follows a wave of institutional interest in BNB and other crypto assets. Just one day before the report was publicized, asset manager VanEck filed to list the first-ever BNB exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. If approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the BNB ETF could pave the way for more traditional investors to gain exposure to the token through regulated financial channels.

VanEck’s move mirrors a broader trend seen with Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, which have funneled billions in capital into the digital asset market and are credited with catalyzing recent rallies in crypto prices.

As spot crypto ETFs become increasingly mainstream, BNB’s chances of being viewed as a serious long-term investment asset may further improve, especially if Binance’s presence in the global market remains strong.

Looking Ahead: A $1,275 Target by 2025

Standard Chartered’s forecast doesn’t just look to the distant horizon. The firm expects BNB to reach approximately $1,275 by the end of 2025—more than double its current valuation. This shorter-term target reflects a combination of market momentum, continued ETF developments, and the macro-level growth of crypto as a whole.

With BNB Chain currently ranked as the fourth largest layer-1 network by total value locked (TVL)—approximately $6 billion according to DeFiLlama—the infrastructure and liquidity backing BNB appear robust, even if innovation within the ecosystem is less dynamic compared to its competitors.