2026 Davos Annual Meeting: How Did Web3 Giants Discuss the Future?

Original Author: Eric, Foresight News

2025 was considered a landmark year for the first large-scale entry of Web3 practitioners into the official main agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF). "Crypto at a Crossroads" appeared for the first time on the main stage agenda, discussing whether cryptocurrency had entered the mainstream era. One year later, with the successive entry of Western financial giants, Web3 has evolved from last year's crossroads into a truly mainstream phenomenon.

At this year's World Economic Forum main stage, tokenization and stablecoins became two key topics. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) was also invited to participate in a discussion themed "New Era for Finance." Unlike the free expression on Crypto Twitter, the remarks from Web3 representatives at such a large-scale event were noticeably more restrained, yet they still did not conceal the ambition that "Web3 will change the world."

So, at the 2026 Davos Annual Meeting, where crypto was recognized as mainstream by traditional finance with its trillion-dollar scale, what exactly did the big players say?

Changpeng Zhao: "If Banks Don't Change, We Will Change Banks"

The last time a prominent entrepreneur criticized banks at a major economic and financial conference might date back to the 2020 Bund Summit.

Changpeng Zhao (CZ) participated in the main stage roundtable titled "New Era for Finance" at this Davos Annual Meeting and also gave interviews to media outlets including CNBC. Overall, CZ's viewpoint was not about "replacing banks" but rather that banks should embrace blockchain infrastructure, with the two being complementary. His main points included:

• The fractional reserve system of banks is the root cause of liquidity crises. It is difficult for them to handle billion-dollar withdrawals in a short time without issues, unlike Binance. The 100% reserve model of cryptocurrency exchanges is safer and more reliable. Traditional banks have their value but should adopt blockchain as their infrastructure to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• CZ himself is in discussions with governments of over a dozen countries (such as Pakistan, Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan, etc.) regarding the tokenization of national assets, including infrastructure, real estate, commodities, and government bonds. Tokenization can avoid debt problems and improve liquidity, attracting a broader range of investors.
• The 4-year Bitcoin cycle will be broken; 2026 will be Bitcoin's "super cycle." Meme tokens are similar to previous NFTs and the metaverse, carrying extremely high risk and being highly speculative. Meme tokens with cultural value may persist long-term, but most will disappear.
• Traditional payments are merging with crypto payments, but risk awareness is necessary. AI Agents will use cryptocurrency as their native payment method. In the future, AI will rely on blockchain for real-time, reliable payments, and cryptocurrency will become the "fuel" for the AI economy.
• The crypto industry needs to focus on risk management and regulatory reality, not blind optimism, balancing innovation with compliance.

In addition to these views, CZ revealed details such as his mindset during his previous imprisonment in an interview with CNBC. Responding to related comments on X, he indicated that more details would be disclosed in his new book scheduled for release in late February or early March.

Coinbase Founder Debates Governor of French Central Bank

In a discussion themed "Is Tokenization the Future," Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong repeatedly interrupted and rebutted the views of François Villeroy de Galhau, Governor of the Bank of France, regarding Bitcoin and stablecoin yields.

François Villeroy de Galhau expressed views including:

• Strong opposition to private companies paying interest to holders of stablecoins they issue, believing this threatens monetary sovereignty and financial stability.
• Emphasizing that monetary trust must come from public institutions (central banks) with democratic mandates, not private issuers.
• Criticizing that private currencies like stablecoins and Bitcoin could lead to systemic risks, promoting the digital euro as a tool to safeguard sovereignty.
• Warning that tokenization could become a "disaster" without improved financial literacy.

Brian Armstrong's "counterarguments" included:

• Arguing that Bitcoin has no issuer, and its decentralized nature makes it more independent and inflation-resistant than traditional currencies.
• Asserting that users have the right to earn yields from stablecoins and that allowing stablecoin interest is part of a nation's competitiveness.
• Emphasizing that Bitcoin and central banks should be in "healthy competition," with public choice becoming the strongest accountability mechanism for fiscal deficits, pushing central banks to be more responsible.
• Refuting that stablecoins are fully backed by reserves, unlike bank deposits.
• Stating that tokenization can solve financial efficiency issues, enabling real-time settlement, reducing costs, and "democratizing investment access," providing investment channels for 4 billion adults without brokerage services. He predicted significant progress for this technology in 2026.

Beyond this high-profile clash between "old finance" and "new finance," Brian Armstrong also mentioned in interviews or other contexts that during the conference, an executive from a global top-10 bank told him that cryptocurrency has now become the bank's "number one priority," even seen as "existential." Armstrong said that many financial leaders he met at the conference were not only open to cryptocurrency but actively seeking entry paths.

Additionally, Armstrong noted that while AI has diverted some attention from cryptocurrency, the two are closely linked. In the future, AI will likely default to using stablecoins rather than the existing bank payment system for transactions.

Besides these two main figures, many other notable figures from the Web3 industry attended and shared their views. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that cryptocurrency's role has shifted from a "threat" to economic infrastructure. He believes stablecoins will become a global payment bridge but must protect monetary sovereignty. Garlinghouse did not express the view that crypto payments would "replace" traditional payments, consistently positioning Ripple as building a bridge between the two.

Web3 Industry Representatives Sign "Davos Declaration 2026"

During the Davos Annual Meeting side event "Davos Web3 Roundtable," dozens of Web3 industry leaders, investors, and policymakers, including Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu, Unstoppable Domains executive Sandy Carter, and 0G Foundation representative Jonathan Chang, signed the "Davos Declaration 2026."

The declaration emphasizes that while embracing powerful technologies like blockchain and AI, the following principles must be adhered to, ensuring technology serves human well-being:

• Inclusivity: Enabling more people (especially in developing countries and marginalized groups) to benefit from Web3 technology.
• Decentralization: Upholding the core value of Web3, avoiding power concentration.
• Sustainability: Promoting environmentally friendly, long-term viable innovation.
• Accountability and Trust: Emphasizing compliance, transparency, and responsible development.
• Long-term Value Creation: Shifting from "hype" to utility, regulatory friendliness, and institutional-grade infrastructure.

Traditional Finance's View on Web3

Besides the criticism from the Governor of the Bank of France, this conference also saw recognition of Web3 from financial giants.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink believes tokenization is the future of the financial system. The entire financial system should migrate to "a common blockchain" (Garrett Jin suggested this blockchain refers to Ethereum) as soon as possible to enable seamless asset transfers. Tokenization will solve liquidity issues, reduce costs, and make asset movement between money market funds more efficient. Crypto and tokenization have become market-driving themes, and BlackRock views them as institutional-grade infrastructure.

Standard Chartered Group CEO Bill Winters stated that tokenization and stablecoins will bring progress in global financial delivery, including lower transaction costs and improved cross-border payment efficiency. The integration of traditional banking and blockchain has become a reality, with stablecoins being the first truly universal blockchain use case.

Other traditional financial giants participating in the main stage roundtables mostly expressed recognition of tokenization, digital assets, and programmable money in reshaping financial capabilities, while also believing that banks should collaborate with blockchain rather than oppose it.