Our latest guest for BlockSpeak 15 is CEO of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, aka CZ.
BlockSpeak 15 guest this week needs little introduction to anybody in the crypto and blockchain world.
Changpeng Zhao, better known by the kindly acronym CZ, is the CEO of the world’s biggest exchange Binance.
I took the liberty of calling him CZ and in this episode, CZ speaks on a wide range of subjects, not least the effect of Covid-19 on Bitcoin and crypto activity on the Binance exchange, as well as the long-term implications of this extraordinary disruption on all types of finance.
According to CZ, exchange volumes have gone up more than 500% over the past three months as traders and speculators have either moved over from more traditional fiat exchanges or incumbent investors have increased their activity.
He also links this with the recent Bitcoin halving and is fundamentally optimistic about the future of crypto as a more mainstream from of money that will continue to gain critical mass.
Moreover, CZ is also questioned about the security of his exchange and recent high-level stories about wallets being hacked and the booty being transferred to the Binance exchange and the being converted into other cryptocurrencies such as Monero and being spirited away to the extent that law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and UK Police lose the trail.
While being relatively non-committal on how Binance has improved its security in light of these stories, he confronts the questioning front-on and comes across as somebody who understands transparency.
Listeners to BlockSpeak who are fascinated by how exchanges work and this increase of magnitude of trading during these surreal days will enjoy this episode. The numbers certainly back this up.
This episode (BlockSpeak 15) has proved to be the most-viewed of all our conversations to date and we’re delighted to announce that CZ will be joining us later this year to share future opinions and reflections.
To view previous episodes go to the BlockSpeak page of this website or the main site at www.blockspeak.io.
Monty Munford has more than 15 years' experience in mobile, digital media, web and journalism. He is the founder of Mob76, a company that helps tech companies raise money and exit. He speaks regularly at global media events with a focus on Africa, writes a weekly column for The Telegraph, is a regular contributor to The Economist, Wired, Mashable and speaks regularly on the BBC World Service.
