The founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, stated that Bitcoin (BTC) could enter a supercycle that would break its historical four-year pattern during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos on CNBC.

The former CEO cited the increase in institutional adoption and better regulatory clarity as potential catalysts for structural market changes.

"I have a very strong feeling that this will probably be a supercycle for Bitcoin," Zhao said on CNBC's Squawk Box. He acknowledged the uncertainty regarding short-term price movements, stating, "2026, I'm not sure, maybe" when talking about the upcoming year.

Break from historical patterns

Zhao explained that Bitcoin traditionally follows four-year cycles with historical peaks followed by declines. "But I think this year, given that the United States is so pro-crypto and if other countries are going to follow them, I really think we are probably going to break the four-year cycle," he stated.

Bitcoin was trading around $89,900 at the time of writing, down about 30% from its all-time high of over $126,000 reached in November 2025. Historically, the cryptocurrency has experienced corrections of 70 to 80% after halving events that occur every four years.

Read also: Why Did Grayscale Submit BNB ETF Filing Eight Months After VanEck?

Long-term outlook

The founder of Binance distinguished between short-term and long-term forecasts. "If you look at a horizon of 5 to 10 years, it’s very easy to predict: we are going to go up," Zhao stated during the interview.

Zhao served four months of federal prison after pleading guilty in 2023 for allowing money laundering on Binance. President Trump pardoned him in October 2025. The interview also addressed his experience in prison and his denial of any business relationship with the Trump family.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs have accumulated over $56 billion in net inflows since their launch in January 2024. The Securities and Exchange Commission removed cryptocurrencies from its list of examination priorities for 2026 in December.

Read next: UBS Explores BTC Trading For Wealthy Clients As Wall Street Embraces Crypto