CZ Makes Multi-8-Figure Bet on DeFi Startup Genius Trading
What Did YZi Labs and Changpeng Zhao Back?
YZi Labs, the family office of Binance co-founders Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Yi He, has made a “multi-8-figure” investment in Genius Trading, a beginup developing a privacy-focused decentralized trading platform. As part of the deal, Zhao has joined the company as an advisor, deepening his involvement in projects built outside Binance’s centralized platform model.
YZi Labs spun out of Binance Labs and now operates independently, managing capital tied to the founders rather than the platform itself. The investment, made last month, was described as well above $10 million. Genius declined to disclose the exact size, valuation, or whether the funding was structured as equity, tokens, or a combination.
The backing places Genius among a growing class of functionality onchain, while retaining user custody and adding features that are hard to offer in fully transparent environments.
Investor Takeaway
How Is Genius Trying to Build an Onchain Binance?
Genius Trading is positioning itself as a single trading terminal that combines spot markets, perpetual futures, and copy trading within a self-custodial, cross-chain setup. The platform is designed to let users trade across more than 10 , switching wallets, or exposing strategies publicly onchain.
“If you were rebuilding Binance today, you wouldn’t do it as a centralized platform — you’d build it onchain,” said Ryan Myher, co-founder and chief operating officer of Genius Trading. “Genius is our answer to what that looks like: one terminal, full custody, no compromises.”
Behind the interface, Genius relies on a custom , proprietary cross-chain routing, and direct connections to decentralized platforms. The company says it has no intention of launching its own blockchain, choosing instead to integrate with existing chains and DeFi protocols.
Why Is Privacy Central to Genius’ Strategy?
Privacy sits at the core of Genius’ pitch. According to the team, the platform is being built to prevent traders from broadcasting positions, routing patterns, or strategy signals on public blockchains. That approach targets users who manage large positions and want to avoid becoming visible liquidity for others to trade against.
“We’re building a privacy-specific trading suite that is still in beta,” said Armaan Kalsi, co-founder and chief executive officer of Genius Trading. “We’re taking our time. Our bet is that the current degeneracy meta in crypto is a great way to acquire users, but that once they realize the power of the underlying technology, they will want to stay.”
Kalsi added that privacy becomes more significant as users move beyond speculation and begin using onchain tools as part of their broader financial lives. The platform’s ahead focus reflects a belief that transparency, while useful for settlement, can be a liability for active traders.
Investor Takeaway
What Traction Has Genius Shown So Far?
Since a soft launch in October, Genius says it has processed more than $60 million in trading volume. Usage has been concentrated among onchain whales, with some users managing millions of dollars in monthly activity. The company describes the product as still in beta and says it is prioritizing stability and integrations over rapid expansion.
The supported ecosystem includes major networks such as BNB Chain, ETH, Solana, Base, Avalanche, Sui, and Hyperliquid. By aggregating liquidity across chains, Genius aims to compete with centralized platforms on execution while keeping assets under user control.
Kalsi declined to comment on whether Genius plans to issue its own token, leaving open questions around governance, incentives, and monetization. For now, the company says its focus remains on building a functional trading layer rather than a new asset or chain.
How Does This Fit the Broader DeFi Landscape?
The investment arrives as DeFi projects increasingly target features once considered exclusive to centralized platforms, including perpetuals, , and copy trading. At the identical time, regulatory pressure and custody concerns continue to push some users toward self-custodial alternatives.
By backing Genius and stepping in as an advisor, Zhao is lending both capital and symbolic weight to the idea that future high-volume trading could migrate onchain without relying on centralized intermediaries. Whether that vision can match the scale, liquidity, and reliability of Binance remains an open question.
