Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has recently met with former Binance founder Changpeng Zhao to discuss Malaysia’s evolving position in the blockchain and digital assets space. The meeting marked a significant step in the government’s efforts to promote innovation in the digital economy while maintaining a strong regulatory foundation. He shared news of the meeting through an official statement on X, describing it as productive and forward-looking.
Anwar, who is also the minister of finance, highlights Malaysia’s ambition to become a regional hub for blockchain development and readiness to embrace digital transformation responsibly. He noted that active discussions are ongoing with key regulatory and policy bodies, including the Securities Commission Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Ministry of Digital. These engagements aim to craft policies that support innovation, safeguard financial systems, and prepare Malaysia for leadership in Web3, tokenised finance, and fintech.
Saya telah mengadakan pertemuan dengan Pengasas Binance, CZ untuk membincangkan potensi Malaysia sebagai hab utama dalam aset digital dan industri blockchain yang semakin berkembang.
Saya mengalu-alukan perbincangan berterusan bersama agensi seperti Suruhanjaya Sekuriti, Bank… pic.twitter.com/Ayr2lj6rb2
— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) April 22, 2025
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of government leadership in accelerating blockchain adoption across both public and private sectors. Specific focus areas include the digitisation of infrastructure, financial tokenisation, and cross-border technological collaboration.
Anwar pointed out that with coordinated action, Malaysia is well-positioned to play a central role in the global digital economy. The meeting with Changpeng Zhao reflects the broader national strategy to attract high-impact blockchain innovators and develop a conducive regulatory environment that balances growth with investor protection.
It should be noted that this isn’t the first time the two had met this year. Previously, both Anwar and Changpeng Zhao sat down with the Abu Dhabi government in January to discuss policies that could see cryptocurrency and blockchain technology becoming fully recognised in Malaysia.
