Bitcoin Could Challenge Gold's Market Cap Lead, CZ Predicts

Binance co-founder Changpeng 'CZ' Zhao predicts that Bitcoin could overtake gold in market value during the next bull cycle. According to him, this shift is not a straightforward price contest but rather a gradual change driven by preferences in reserve systems.

Gold currently holds a significant lead in market cap, being roughly ten times larger than Bitcoin's. However, Zhao believes that sovereign reserves and institutional portfolios could eventually allocate more funds towards digital assets like Bitcoin, representing over 50% of strategic crypto holdings alongside Ethereum (ETH) and BNB (BNB).

Zhao also linked wider crypto adoption to the development of artificial intelligence, stating that stablecoins are likely to become the first digital assets used by AI systems. He expects AI-assisted trading to emerge before AI-driven payments, as trading relies on rapid information processing, news reaction, and chart analysis.

Bitcoin has already shown a significant rebound, gaining over 25% last week, with Zhao making these comments at Bitcoin Asia 2026 in Hong Kong. On Aug. 27, Bitcoin traded near $79,700, while gold moved above $4,600.