- Governments are starting to see the power of blockchain technology in selling small shares of state property.
- Binance founder Changpeng CZ Zhao says that multiple governments have consulted with him on the matter
- Fractional ownership would give citizens easier access to public infrastructure projects.
Changpeng Zhao, the co-founder of Binance, shared news about something interesting at the World Economic Forum.
He says that he is currently talking with roughly twelve different governments about a new way to manage state wealth. These discussions are focused on moving national assets onto blockchain networks.
This process is expected to turn physical property into tokenised coins, and would allow governments to raise money by selling small pieces of these assets to the public.
Governments Tokenizing National Assets?
The idea of tokenising national assets works almost the same way as traditional privatisation.
In the past, countries used to sell shares of big oil or phone companies to the public. However, tokenization makes this process much faster and more precise and governments can take a bridge, a road or a large plot of land and turn it into millions of digital tokens.
Three forces shaping the next decade of finance:
🔗 Tokenization
💸 Payments
🤖 AIAs shared by Changpeng Zhao at Davos, crypto is no longer “emerging” it’s becoming essential infrastructure.#Crypto #Web3 #AI #Tokenization #Binance pic.twitter.com/uOzWOdANtM
— Angela (@NaaAdjaney) January 22, 2026
Zhao says that this method helps countries get their money sooner. They can also use these early funds to build new industries or fix old systems. Instead of waiting years for a project to pay for itself, the government gets capital upfront.
This change could help many countries manage their budgets more effectively. It also creates a new tool for raising money without having to take on massive debt.
Fractional Ownership And How People Invest
Most people cannot afford to buy a whole highway or a government building.
However, fractional ownership removes that barrier and allows a regular person to buy a very small portion of a state project.
This opens up investing to a much larger group of people, where instead of only big banks participating, local citizens can own a piece of their country’s progress.
Digital shares are also much easier to trade than paper contracts because blockchain records every transfer instantly.
This transparency is what helps everyone see who owns what. It also reduces the need for endless paperwork and administrative delays.
In other words, if governments start to make ownership digital, they can reach more investors. This speed and ease of access could make public assets more valuable over time.
Previous Government Partnerships
Zhao did not list every country he is talking to right now.
However, he has mentioned working with nations like Pakistan and Malaysia before. Kyrgyzstan is also already making big moves in this area, after having launched its own digital currency pegged to its national currency.
Updates from Kyrgyzstan🇰🇬
– The National Stablecoin launched, on @BNBChain
– The CBDC is ready for rollout. Yes, both. CBDC will be used for gov related payments, etc
– The National Cryptocurrency Reserve set up, #BNB included
– LE training
– Binance Academy with 10 top… https://t.co/KPrL0pnsWG pic.twitter.com/SInh5aCPMZ— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 25, 2025
They also plan to release a stablecoin backed by $300 million in gold.
These early steps show that the technology is ready for real use, and emerging markets tend to lead the way with these tools.
At the end of the day, seeing success in these regions would encourage other governments to try similar plans and the conversations in Davos show that interest is moving from small experiments to large-scale planning.
AI Agents and Digital Payments
The talk also moved toward the future of automation. Zhao says that AI will need its own way to pay for things.
As AI agents start doing more and more tasks for humans, they will need a currency that they can use easily and blockchain is the perfect fit for these digital workers.
This is because this tech is programmable and works 24 hours a day without human help.
An AI might need to buy server space or data for its user. It can also send a crypto payment in seconds. This avoids the hassle of bank transfers, and Zhao sees this as a natural way for technology to grow.