CZ Defends HODL Strategy Amid Backlash, Yi He’s 94% BNB Allocation Revealed

Zach Anderson
Jan 29, 2026 10:00

Binance founder CZ clarifies buy-and-hold advice after criticism, while new transparency feature shows Co-CEO Yi He holds 94% BNB with 30%+ annual returns.

Binance founder Zhao Changpeng has been forced to walk back his blanket endorsement of the “buy and hold” strategy after critics pointed out that most crypto projects ultimately fail. The clarification comes as Binance’s new live trading feature reveals Co-CEO Yi He holds 94% of her portfolio in BNB—and she’s up over 30% in the past year.

CZ’s original January 25 post praising the HODL approach drew immediate fire from traders who noted that holding many Binance-listed tokens through their lifecycles would have resulted in total losses. By January 27, CZ was in damage control mode, clarifying that his advice “obviously does not apply to every coin” and comparing crypto projects to internet startups where most fail.

He dismissed some criticism as a “coordinated attack” of “twisted FUD,” though the backlash appeared organic given the timing—several Binance-listed tokens had recently crashed while retail holders followed the HODL playbook.

Binance Execs Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is

The controversy coincides with Binance Square’s rollout of a live trading display feature that lets creators publicly showcase their portfolios. The transparency move is notable given the industry’s history of influencers pumping tokens they’re secretly dumping.

Yi He’s publicly visible allocation tells a clear story:

• 94.13% — BNB
• 4.15% — USDT
• 1.08% — BTC
• 0.56% — Other tokens (FF, XPL, misc)

That 30%+ annual return on a portfolio almost entirely in BNB tracks with the token’s performance, though it also highlights the concentration risk Binance leadership carries. CZ himself has previously stated over 98% of his holdings are in BNB.

The Real Takeaway

CZ’s clarification essentially admits what experienced traders already know: buy and hold works for quality assets with strong fundamentals, not for random altcoins. The problem? His original post didn’t make that distinction, and retail investors following simplified advice often learn expensive lessons.

The new portfolio transparency feature could help—or hurt—depending on how followers interpret the data. Seeing Binance leadership all-in on BNB might encourage similar concentration, which works until it doesn’t.

Bitcoin, for context, trades at $88,190 as of January 29, up 0.17% in 24 hours with a $1.78 trillion market cap.

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