Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said Bitcoin will reach $1 million sooner than 25 years, predicting it will eventually become more important than gold. He noted that gold’s market capitalization is roughly 10 times Bitcoin’s and forecast that central-bank reserves will shift toward digital assets, with Bitcoin making up more than 50% of strategic virtual-asset holdings alongside Ethereum and BNB. His comments, made on the Nakamoto Stage at a conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre last week, were confirmed in a video released by Bitcoin Magazine, owned by organizer BTC Inc. The remarks came as Bitcoin remained below its October peak, despite CryptoQuant saying its Bull Score index had risen from 30 to 80 and that a daily close above the approximately $83,000 365-day moving average would confirm a new bull-market phase. Zhao described the United Arab Emirates’ virtual-asset rules as the most progressive and said Hong Kong was moving quickly. He also acknowledged underestimating real-world asset tokenization, or RWA (blockchain-based representation of traditional assets), as well as the growth of NFTs and meme coins. The RWA market has expanded through tokenized U.S. Treasuries, equities and private credit. Zhao pleaded guilty to U.S. anti-money laundering violations in 2023, completed a four-month prison sentence in 2024 and was pardoned by President Donald Trump in October 2025.