CZ Denies Role in Takedown of 10-Minute Solana Ad in Shanghai

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, founder of Binance, says a Solana (SOL) advertisement on Shanghai’s Bund waterfront was taken down within 10 minutes. He also rejected the idea that his X post was responsible for its removal.

The Solana ad had pointed toward a softer Chinese stance on crypto. On Friday, however, a Solana event in the city was postponed by organizers after officers blocked guests from entering.

Why CZ Took Issue With the Shanghai Solana Ad

In the view of some X users, CZ’s earlier comments welcoming Solana’s new Shanghai office had directed official scrutiny toward the campaign. That post earned more than 1 million views, amplifying Solana’s China push outside the crypto community.

CZ disputed that connection in a follow-up post. Citing details that have since come to light, he stated that the advertisement on the Bund building was removed within 10 minutes.

It was only 12 to 24 hours later that he saw the ad on X, in a post where it was still visible. With China monitoring speech and media in real time, censors had acted long before his post.

Saw some comments about my post on this topic 👇 🤣

1. I am always supportive of any blockchain making any progress in any country. BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL, HYPE, ZEC, SIGN, all stablecoins, etc, you name it…

2. I was happy that SOL can advertise and get an office in… https://t.co/tFnrdIsqnw

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 16, 2026

The office had been welcomed by CZ as a potential route for other blockchains. In his argument, a visible ad would have been a signal that China had unbanned crypto.

What the Shanghai Setback Says About the Ban

Instead, CZ conceded that “that’s not quite the case yet, it seems.” By then, the Solana Shanghai event had already been stalled by officers.

Crypto trading has been banned in mainland China since 2021. In February, the authorities extended the crackdown to stablecoin issuance and asset tokenization.

For some market watchers, an opening by China is the trigger for the next Bitcoin supercycle. The fast removal of the Solana ad suggests that scenario remains distant.

Despite that, CZ praised the campaign as a good effort and encouraged builders to keep pressing for adoption. Any blockchain making progress, from Bitcoin and BNB to XRP and SOL, has his support.

That view comes from experience. Binance set up in China in 2017, ahead of the new token-sale rules that forced the exchange offshore.

For now, the ad’s removal is a setback, not a dead end. Solana’s Shanghai office remains. CZ, who promotes his own crypto playbook to governments, views every such step as progress for the entire industry.