CZ's Strong Return: New Outlook for the 2026 Crypto Market and Gate Ecosystem Opportunities

01 Market Pulse

The crypto market in 2025 closed with remarkable resilience. This year, the approval of Bitcoin ETFs became a key driver, while earlier price surges were closely related to the participation of institutions like Tesla and Coinbase.

Ethereum also performed exceptionally well, ending the year at $2,972.06, demonstrating market confidence brought by Layer 2 solutions and upcoming upgrades. The strong performance of these two major assets injected new vitality into the entire crypto industry.

Despite some analysts suggesting potential “whale” manipulation in the cryptocurrency market—claiming that just 2% of anonymous accounts hold about 92% of Bitcoin—continuous institutional inflows are gradually changing this landscape.

02 Leader Returns

CZ (Changpeng Zhao)’s return undoubtedly injected a boost into the crypto industry. As the founder of Binance, his influence spans the entire crypto ecosystem. After a period of silence, CZ re-entered the public eye, sharing profound insights into the industry.

His return comes at the right time, as the market needs a credible voice to rally confidence. CZ emphasizes the importance of compliance and innovation, aligning with current global regulatory trends. He specifically pointed out that 2026 will be a pivotal year for the explosion of utility tokens and real-world applications.

CZ’s optimism is based on several core observations: rising institutional adoption rates, clarifying regulatory frameworks, and expanding blockchain applications in practical scenarios. These views align with the strategic development plans of leading exchanges like Gate.

03 Ecosystem Opportunities

For Gate users, CZ’s return and the overall optimistic market sentiment translate into tangible opportunities. In 2025, the Gate platform made significant progress, including winning the “Crypto Industry Benchmark” award and achieving breakthroughs in global compliance.

Platform data shows that Gate has 47 million users and a monthly spot trading volume of $160 billion, along with regulatory licenses from multiple countries including MiCA, AUSTRAC, and VARA. These achievements have laid a solid foundation for the platform’s token GT.

Notably, the successful completion of the 47th phase of the Gate contract points airdrop activity, with single-transaction earnings exceeding $31. Such activities not only increase user engagement but also demonstrate the vitality of the platform ecosystem.

04 Platform Token

GT, as the core of the Gate ecosystem, closed at $10.35 at the end of 2025. Behind this performance is the platform’s ongoing deflationary mechanism—by the second quarter of 2025, approximately 180.5 million GT had been burned, accounting for 60.18% of the initial total supply.

In the upcoming first quarter of 2026, Gate plans to burn another approximately 2 million GT, valued at over $20 million at current prices. This systematic burning directly reduces circulating supply, creating deflationary pressure for GT.

Gate’s platform fee income grew by 31% year-over-year in 2025, providing strong support for token burns. This virtuous cycle has helped GT rank seventh among centralized exchange tokens, with a market cap of about $821 million.

05 Cutting-Edge Technology

Gate Layer, a Layer 2 network based on OP Stack, officially launched on September 25, 2025. This network supports over 5700 TPS (transactions per second) and 1-second block times, using GT as the sole fee token.

The cross-chain bridge for Gate Layer, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2026, will enable seamless asset transfers across different blockchains. By integrating LayerZero technology, it will connect Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and other major public chains.

Upgrades to the perpetual contract decentralized exchange are also a focus for Gate in 2026, with plans to introduce cross-margin trading and institutional-grade tools, aiming to capture 5% of the $665 billion derivatives market. Currently, the platform’s open interest is valued at around $1.2 billion.

06 User Perspective

For different types of Gate users, the opportunities in the new year are diverse. Traders can participate in activities like Gate’s “Crazy Wednesday,” which offers GT rewards and high-yield products, with some products offering annualized yields up to 285%.

Long-term holders may be interested in Web3 staking opportunities, such as the Matchain (MAT) staking pool, which rewards 116,000 MAT, prioritizing VIP users and increasing yields. These activities support the ecosystem’s long-term development while providing users with additional income.

Developers can find unique opportunities on Gate Layer, especially as developer tools are upgraded. Gate offers pre-configured nodes and RPC endpoints, greatly simplifying setup processes. A more convenient development environment helps attract more projects to join Gate Layer, enhancing GT’s value as the network’s fuel token.

Future Outlook

The limited supply of Bitcoin—designed cap at 21 million, with about 89% already mined—stands in stark contrast to the growing demand. As 2026 approaches, Gate’s Layer 2 network processes thousands of transactions daily, with GT tokens continuously circulating, being burned, and appreciating in value within the ecosystem.

There is no pause button in the crypto world. When the first rays of sunlight in the new year shine on the “Crypto Industry Benchmark” trophy at Gate’s headquarters in Dubai, the code keeps running, transactions never stop, and every participant is recalculating their position and possibilities.