CZ's Bull Market Survival Guide: Skip All-In, DCA 1-10% of Income Into Top Crypto

Compiled & edited by: TechFlow

Guest: CZ (Changpeng Zhao), founder of Binance and Giggle Academy

Host: Jessica Walker, Binance Clubhouse Bali 2026

Podcast source: Binance

Original title: Should You Go ALL IN on Bitcoin? Binance Founder CZ's Answer (and Why DCA) | Bali Clubhouse 2026 Q&A

Air date: Aug. 23, 2026

Disclosure: CZ is the founder of Binance, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, and his personal wealth and business are highly correlated with crypto asset prices. This episode covers assets such as BTC and BNB, as well as sectors like RWA and DeFi. The views below are faithfully presented as the guest's opinions and do not constitute independent third-party judgment or investment advice.

Key Takeaways

CZ sold his apartment in 2014 to go all-in on Bitcoin, a story almost everyone in crypto knows. But in this Bali Clubhouse community Q&A, his answer surprised many: If the apartment is most of your wealth, he would not advise anyone to do that today. His alternative for ordinary people is DCA—invest 1%, 5%, or 10% of monthly income only in top crypto assets like BTC, ETH, and SOL, and stay away from obscure projects.

That percentage is the most actionable number in this episode. It means someone earning $10,000 a month can put just $100 to $1,000 regularly into top assets, without leverage or betting on small coins. CZ's own experience is an extreme outlier: he had strong conviction at the time and his life did not depend on Bitcoin's price. Most people do not have the same risk tolerance.

More interestingly, he openly admitted changing his mind on three things. He initially dismissed NFTs—they took off. He still doesn't understand the logic behind meme coins—they also took off. And RWA, which he didn't take seriously a year and a half ago, now genuinely appeals to him. He said when something becomes popular, he goes back to understand it rather than stubbornly sticking to his old views.

On market outlook, he offered no new direction: the four-year cycle still holds, but he can't predict the next trigger—he couldn't foresee DeFi Summer six months ahead in 2020 either. What's really worth taking away are two disciplines: on the investing side, replace all-in with DCA; on the learning side, spend 30 to 60 minutes a day on intentional learning, digging three to five levels deep into every question.

Highlighted Quotes

On DCA and Risk Management

• "I would not advise anyone to sell their apartment and go all-in if that's most of your wealth."
• "I had strong conviction that Bitcoin would rise long-term, and my life did not depend on Bitcoin's price. Even if it went to zero, I'd be fine. Not everyone is in that position."
• "I would advise most people to DCA, putting 1%, 5%, or 10% of monthly income into top crypto assets."

On Changed Views

• "I didn't think NFTs would take off, but they did. I didn't think memes would take off, but they really did. I still don't quite understand the logic behind them."
• "A year and a half ago I didn't take RWA seriously. Now I see the appeal: 24/7 trading, transparency, low fees, global access."
• "There are many things I didn't see at first, but once they became popular, I went to understand them."

On the Four-Year Cycle and the Next Trigger

• "The four-year cycle still looks strong. Four years ago we were roughly in a bear market, similar to now."
• "The next trigger is very hard to predict. Six months before DeFi Summer in 2020, I couldn't have predicted it either."
• "I don't have a crystal ball."

On the Intersection of AI and Crypto

• "AI will pay for us, trade for us, book hotels on our behalf. That day hasn't come yet, but it will."
• "Using credit cards is too much hassle for AI—face verification, SMS verification, random blocks. Crypto-native payment systems are the most seamless for AI."
• "I don't plan to have Binance protect humans from being exploited by AI bots. We should open AI tools to everyone, just like the internet."

On How He Uses AI—and How He Doesn't

• "My most common use of AI: before, when I didn't know something, I'd search the web, filter ads, read several articles. Now I just ask AI directly."
• "I tried using AI to write code to filter Gmail spam. After struggling for a while without good results, I gave up."
• "AI may increase developer efficiency by 5 to 10 times, but you still need to read every line of AI-written code—you can't just trust it blindly."
• "I don't read traditional news; there's too much subjective opinion. I just look at what the people I follow on X post."

On Giggle Academy: AI Can't Teach Kids

• "Giggle Academy already has over 1 million children learning on the platform."
• "We tried AI-only teaching for kids—it doesn't work. Conversational AI doesn't proactively ask questions, and kids stop asking after three or four questions."
• "Content generated entirely by AI is less engaging for kids. Even very young children can tell that it's not human-made."
• "So our approach is: humans use AI to generate content components, but humans are in control."

On Iron Rules for a 25-Year-Old

• "I would ignore most concrete advice—buy this, sell that. It's too prescriptive and may not fit your situation."
• "Invest 30 to 60 minutes a day learning. The younger you are, the more time you should invest."
• "Learning must be intentional. You can watch YouTube, browse X, ask AI questions, but don't ask vague things like 'why is the market up or down.' Dig three to five levels deep into every question."
• "A book costs $9.99 on Amazon—one of the cheapest ways to gain knowledge."

1. The All-In Apartment Story, Now Replaced by DCA

Jessica Walker: You sold your apartment in 2014 to buy Bitcoin. What's the 2026 equivalent? Would you advise a 25-year-old to do that?

I would not advise anyone to sell their apartment and go all-in if that's most of your wealth. That decision has to be made by yourself. Crypto prices are very volatile, and you need to understand the risks and downside.

My situation at the time was: I had strong conviction in Bitcoin's long-term growth, and my life did not depend on Bitcoin's price. Even if Bitcoin went to zero, I'd be okay. Not everyone is in that position.

Long-term, crypto will continue to grow. Bitcoin, BNB, and other strong projects will keep growing. But for most people, I recommend DCA. Put 1%, 5%, or 10% of your monthly income into top crypto assets you trust. That's it.

2. Three Views I Changed

Jessica Walker: What's one belief about crypto you've completely changed over the past decade?

There are several. I didn't think NFTs would become popular, but they did. I didn't expect meme coins to get that hot, and I still don't quite understand the logic behind them. A year and a half ago I didn't think RWA was a big deal; now I see the appeal. 24/7 trading, transparency, low fees, global access—these are real advantages.

Many things I didn't see at first, but once they proved popular, I went back to understand them. I don't stubbornly stick to my original judgments.

3. The Four-Year Cycle Still Holds, but I Don't Know the Next Trigger

Jessica Walker: Does the four-year cycle still hold? What will drive the next cycle?

The four-year cycle still looks strong. Four years ago we were roughly in a bear market, similar to now. So far this pattern hasn't been broken.

But the next trigger is very hard to predict. When DeFi Summer came in 2020, I couldn't have predicted it six months in advance. Same now—RWA, Perp DEX, AI agents are all rising, but which one can push the entire crypto market to new highs, I'm not sure. I don't have a crystal ball. What we can do is observe trends and see what happens next.

4. AI Will Pay for Us, but Don't Fear It Taking Your Job

Jessica Walker: AI can front-run trades and spot vulnerabilities faster than humans. How do we prevent AI from becoming a nightmare for retail investors? Will Binance build guardrails?

This question has a premise: AI is only used by a few people. But I think basically everyone will use AI.

AI can indeed spot vulnerabilities faster, but if developers use that capability, they can fix vulnerabilities faster and build more secure systems. Some people will use AI for trading earlier and better than others, but others will learn from them. Just like today everyone uses the internet, and everyone trading uses some kind of technical analysis tool. Tools get democratized.

I don't plan to have Binance protect humans from being exploited by AI bots. We should open AI tools to everyone. On the trading API, you only see orders coming in—you don't know whether the decision engine behind them is human or AI. Rather than blocking, let everyone use AI decision-making tools.

Jessica Walker: AI agents will own wallets, make payments, and interact with smart contracts. What role does crypto infrastructure play in the AI economy?

Blockchain will be very important for AI. When AI needs to transfer money, crypto-native payment systems are the most seamless. They are programmable, neutral, borderless, fast, low-cost financial infrastructure.

If AI uses credit cards, you have to constantly intervene. Face verification, SMS verification, random transaction rejections—these are hassles in payment systems designed for humans. Not suitable for AI.

5. How CZ Uses AI—and How He Doesn't

Jessica Walker: How do you use AI in your daily life?

Like most people. Before, when I didn't know something, I'd search the web, filter ads, read several articles to figure it out. Now I just ask AI directly—saves a lot of trouble.

I tried using AI to write code to filter Gmail spam. After struggling for a while without good results, I gave up. I don't write much code anymore, so AI programming is of limited use to me. But AI is very valuable for developers—maybe a 5 to 10 times efficiency increase. Still, you need to read every line of AI-written code; you can't just trust it blindly.

For news, I don't use AI either. I just look at what the people I follow on X post. Traditional news has too much subjective opinion; I skip that step.

6. AI Can't Teach Two-Year-Olds

Jessica Walker: How does Giggle Academy combine AI, decentralized identity, and gamified education?

Giggle Academy already has over 1 million children learning on the platform. We mainly focus on content for ages 2 to 6.

We tried AI-only teaching for kids—it doesn't work. Conversational AI doesn't proactively ask questions, and kids stop asking after three or four questions. Content generated entirely by AI is less engaging for kids. Even very young children can tell that it's not human-made.

So our approach is: content creators use AI to generate components, but humans are in control. For example, storybooks—the ones generated entirely by AI with one click aren't popular. What's popular is when a human writes the story and uses AI to generate some components. Our team has 60 people working on this project.

Decentralized identity, I think, is not as important as people think. Blockchain itself is actually overly transparent. Using AI combined with KYC information from a few centralized exchanges, it's very easy to trace on-chain transactions. Banks and cash actually offer more privacy.

7. What Indonesia Lacks Isn't Users—It's Local Assets

Jessica Walker: What's missing for Indonesia to become Asia's leading Web3 ecosystem?

Indonesia's community is very active, but it is missing a few things. No domestic stablecoin. No domestic RWA—Indonesian stocks aren't tokenized, real estate isn't tokenized, gold, oil, rare earth minerals, government bonds—none of them. Think about it: USDT is mainly backed by US Treasuries, which is an indirect form of tokenized government bonds. Which country wouldn't want hundreds of millions of people around the world to be able to buy its government bonds directly?

Having a stablecoin in your domestic currency is also very important—it gives you a price discovery mechanism. These shortcomings also reflect that Indonesia needs clearer regulation.

8. If I Were 25, I'd Ignore All Specific Advice

Jessica Walker: If you were 25 today, with no money and no connections, what advice would you ignore? What would you replace it with?

People instinctively see the world through their own lens. But everyone's situation is different.

I would ignore most concrete advice. Buy this, sell that, do this project, don't do that project—these are too prescriptive and may not fit you.

My replacement is: invest 30 to 60 minutes a day learning. The younger you are, the more time you should invest. It can be watching YouTube, browsing X, asking AI questions, but it must be intentional learning, not casual scrolling. Dig three to five levels deep into every question. I strongly recommend reading books—non-fiction, self-help books. A book costs $9.99 on Amazon—one of the cheapest ways to gain knowledge.

If you invest an hour a day learning, your mindset will slowly change. Your ability to analyze problems will improve. You'll become a more insightful analyst and make better decisions. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.