New Investment by YZi Labs in Genius Trading

The family office YZi Labs, founded by Binance co-founders Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and Yi He, has invested a "multi-million sum with an eight-figure amount" (significantly more than $6 million) in the Genius Trading platform. This deal took place last month, and CZ has joined the project as an advisor, adding weight to Genius's ambitions to become an "on-chain alternative to Binance" with a focus on privacy and execution speed.

Genius Trading, founded in 2022 by a team of Yale University alumni (CEO Armaan Kalsi, COO Ryan Maiher, and CTO Brihu Sundararaman) under the auspices of Shuttle Labs, is a self-custodial cross-chain terminal for DeFi trading. The platform integrates liquidity from over 10 blockchains, including BNB Chain, Solana, Ethereum, Hyperliquid, Base, Avalanche, and Sui, allowing users to trade spot assets, perpetual futures, and copy trades without the need for bridging assets or switching wallets. Since its soft launch in October 2024, Genius has processed over $60 million in trading volume, primarily among large on-chain players.

Previously, the project raised $7 million in funding: $6 million in a 2024 round led by CMCC Global (with participation from Balaji Srinivasan, Anthony Scaramucci, and Flow Traders) plus a $1 million extension. The new investment from YZi Labs, which does not disclose exact terms (whether it's equity, tokens, or a combination), is aimed at accelerating development and providing liquidity for the public launch at the end of 2026. Genius plans to launch a public beta of its privacy layer (based on multi-party computations and order distribution across hundreds of wallets to reduce tracing) in the second quarter of 2026.

The platform positions itself as the "ultimate on-chain terminal," offering advanced features: near-real-time quote generation, integration with over 150 DEXs, cross-chain orders without bridging via the Genius Bridge Protocol, invisible transactions (Ghost Orders) on networks like Solana and Ethereum, as well as the stablecoin USDgg with yields from swap fees. Security is ensured by audits from Halborn, Cantina, and others, using Turnkey.com for key management and Lit Protocol for wallets.

For users, a promotion is currently active: registration on the site gives 500 points (GP), which will later be converted into an airdrop. Each trade brings additional points, and the ranking system (from "Smart" to "God") unlocks multipliers. For now, commissions are zero, allowing users to "farm" points without extra costs. The referral program offers up to 45% commissions in USDC from referrals' trades, and spins for swaps give a chance to win up to $1000 weekly. The project actively engages with the community through Telegram, where it collects feedback, and plans regular spaces, events, and competitions.

This investment highlights the trend toward developing infrastructure for DeFi execution, where privacy is becoming a key factor in user retention. Genius does not plan to launch its own blockchain but integrates with existing ones, including Aster DEX (CZ has debunked rumors of competition, calling Genius a terminal that connects to perp-DEXs). The project is based in New York with a global team of 11 people and is already attracting attention as a potential hit among airdrop hunters.

This is not financial advice, the market is volatile.