What Did Web3 Advocates Talk About at the 2026 Davos Annual Meeting?

Original Title: "What Did Web3 Representatives Discuss at the 2026 Davos Annual Meeting?"

Original Author: Eric, Foresight News

The year 2025 was considered a significant year as Web3 practitioners first massively entered the World Economic Forum (WEF) official main agenda. "Crypto at a Crossroads" appeared for the first time in the main stage agenda, discussing whether cryptocurrency was entering the mainstream era. A year later, with the successive entry of Western financial giants, Web3 has transitioned from last year's crossroads to a true mainstream.

At this year's World Economic Forum main stage, tokenization and stablecoins became two key topics of the main stage, and Binance founder CZ was also invited to participate in the "New Era for Finance" discussion. Unlike freely expressing opinions on CT, the speeches of Web3 representatives at such a large event were noticeably more restrained, but still did not hide the ambition that "Web3 will change the world."

So, at the 2026 Davos Annual Meeting where Crypto has been recognized by the traditional financial world with a trillion-dollar market cap, what exactly did the big shots say?

CZ: "If Banks Don't Change, We Will Change Banks"

The last time a prominent entrepreneur criticized banks at a major economic and financial conference may be traced back to the 2020 Bund Financial Summit.

CZ participated in the main stage roundtable on the theme "New Era for Finance" at this year's Davos Annual Meeting and also gave interviews to media outlets including CNBC. Overall, CZ's viewpoint is not to "replace banks" but to believe that banks should embrace blockchain infrastructure as the two are complementary. His main points include:

· The fractional reserve system of banks is the root of liquidity crises. It is difficult for banks to process billion-dollar withdrawals in a short period of time like Binance without issues. The 100% reserve model of cryptocurrency exchanges is more secure and reliable. Traditional banks have their value but should embrace blockchain as their infrastructure to improve efficiency and reduce costs;

· CZ himself is in discussions with governments of more than a dozen countries (such as Pakistan, Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan, etc.) regarding national asset tokenization, including infrastructure, real estate, commodities, government bonds, etc. Tokenization can avoid debt issues, increase liquidity, and attract a more diverse range of investors;

· The Bitcoin 4-Year Cycle Will Be Broken, 2026 Will Be Bitcoin's "Super Cycle". Meme tokens, similar to previous NFTs and the metaverse, are highly risky and speculative. Meme tokens with cultural value may exist long-term, but the majority of meme tokens will disappear;

· Traditional payments are merging with crypto payments, but risk awareness is needed. AI agents will use cryptocurrency as a native payment method, and in the future, AI will rely on blockchain for real-time, reliable payments, making cryptocurrency the "fuel" of the AI economy.

· The crypto industry needs to focus on risk management and regulatory reality, rather than blind optimism, balancing innovation and compliance.

In addition to these views, CZ also revealed details such as his mindset while in prison during an interview with CNBC, and in responding to related comments on X, he mentioned that he would disclose more details in a new book to be published at the end of February and beginning of March.

Coinbase Founder Clashes with French Central Bank Governor

In a discussion with the theme "Is Tokenization the Future," Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong repeatedly interrupted French Central Bank Governor François Villeroy de Galhau's speech and countered his views on Bitcoin and stablecoin returns.

François Villeroy de Galhau's expressed views include:

· Strongly opposing the payment of interest to holders of stablecoins issued by private companies, believing this threatens monetary sovereignty and financial stability;

· Emphasizing that currency trust must come from democratically authorized public institutions (central banks), not private issuers;

· Criticizing private currencies like stablecoins and Bitcoin for potentially creating systemic risks, advocating for the digital euro as a tool to maintain sovereignty;

· Warning that without improving financial literacy, tokenization could become a "disaster".

Brian Armstrong's "counterattacks" included:

· Argue that Bitcoin has no issuer, its decentralized nature makes it more independent and resistant to inflation;

· Advocate that users have the right to earn interest from stablecoins and believe that allowing stablecoin interest is part of national competitiveness;

· Emphasize that Bitcoin and central banks should engage in "healthy competition," with public choice becoming the strongest form of accountability for fiscal deficits and pushing central banks to be more responsible;

· Counter that stablecoins are fully backed by reserves, unlike bank deposits;

· Tokenization can address financial efficiency issues, achieve real-time settlement, reduce costs, and "democratize investment access," providing investment channels for 4 billion adults who cannot access brokerage services, with the technology expected to make significant progress by 2026.

In addition to this highly anticipated clash between "old finance" and "new finance," Brian Armstrong also stated in interviews or other occasions that a senior executive from a global top-ten bank told him during the conference that cryptocurrency has now become the bank's "top priority" and is even seen as an "existential imperative." Armstrong mentioned that many financial leaders he met at the conference are not only open to cryptocurrency but are actively seeking entry paths.

Furthermore, Armstrong also stated that although AI has diverted some attention from cryptocurrency, the two are closely linked, and in the future, AI is likely to default to using stablecoins rather than the existing banking payment system for transactions.

In addition to the two main figures mentioned above, many other well-known Web3 industry personalities attended and expressed their views. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stated that the role of cryptocurrency has shifted from a "threat" to economic infrastructure. He believes that stablecoins will become a global payment bridge but stresses the need to protect monetary sovereignty. Brad Garlinghouse did not express the view that crypto payments will "replace" traditional payments but always believed Ripple was building bridges between the two.

Web3 Industry Representatives Sign "Davos Declaration 2026"

During a Davos annual meeting side event, the "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 manifesto emphasizes that in embracing powerful technologies such as blockchain and AI, the following principles must be followed to ensure that technology serves human well-being:

· Inclusivity: Ensure that more people, especially those in developing countries and marginalized communities, benefit from Web3 technology.

· Decentralization: Uphold the core value of Web3 and avoid centralization of power.

· Sustainability: Promote eco-friendly, long-term viable innovation.

· Accountability and Trust: Emphasize compliance, transparency, and responsible development.

· Long-Term Value Creation: Shift from speculation to utility, regulatory-friendly, and institutional-grade infrastructure.

Rethinking Web3 in Traditional Finance

During this conference, in addition to some criticisms of Web3 by the Governor of the Bank of France, there was also recognition of Web3 by financial giants.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink believes that tokenization is the future of the financial system. He envisions the entire financial system moving quickly to "one common blockchain" (Garrett Jin referred to this blockchain as Ethereum), enabling seamless asset transfers. Tokenization will address liquidity issues, reduce costs, and make asset movement between money market funds more efficient. Cryptocurrency and tokenization have become a market-driving theme, which BlackRock considers as institutional-grade infrastructure.

Standard Chartered Bank Group CEO Bill Winters stated that tokenization and stablecoins will advance global financial settlement, including reducing transaction costs and improving cross-border payment efficiency. The integration of traditional banks with blockchain has become a reality, with stablecoins being the first truly universal blockchain use case.

Other traditional financial giants participating in the main conference roundtable also largely expressed recognition of tokenization, digital assets, and programmable currency in reshaping financial capabilities, but also believe that banks should collaborate with, rather than resist, blockchain.

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