CZ’s YZi Labs invests in trading terminal as DeFi execution takes priority
YZi Labs, the independent investment firm led by Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, has made an eight-figure investment in onchain trading terminal Genius Trading, signaling a growing focus on execution-focused infrastructure as decentralized finance activity spreads across blockchains.
While financial terms were not disclosed, YZi Labs confirmed on Tuesday that the investment reached eight figures. As part of the deal, Zhao will also join Genius Trading as an adviser, underscoring the strategic importance the firm places on trading infrastructure rather than consumer-facing applications alone.
The investment reflects a broader shift in crypto markets, where cross-chain trading tools are increasingly viewed as core market infrastructure. As liquidity fragments across multiple blockchains and decentralized venues, the ability to execute efficiently across networks is becoming as critical as access to liquidity itself.
Genius Trading is not a decentralized exchange. Instead, it operates as a trading interface designed to aggregate execution across blockchains and decentralized venues, allowing traders to manage activity without being tied to a single protocol or chain. This distinction highlights a growing emphasis on execution quality, routing efficiency and workflow optimization, particularly for professional and high-volume traders.
According to the company, Genius Trading processed more than $160 million in trading volume across 10 blockchains prior to its public launch. Tuesday’s announcement marked the platform’s official debut, with support for spot trading, perpetual futures and copy trading already live.
YZi Labs currently manages roughly $10 billion in assets and focuses on venture-stage investments across Web3, artificial intelligence and biotechnology. The firm operates as Zhao’s family office and evolved from Binance’s former venture arm, maintaining a strong focus on infrastructure that supports long-term ecosystem growth.
Trading terminals emerge as critical DeFi infrastructure
As decentralized finance expands beyond a single dominant blockchain, cross-chain trading has become increasingly important for market participants seeking flexibility and efficiency. While much of the early focus was placed on decentralized exchanges themselves, trading terminals have emerged as a distinct category that connects multiple venues and chains through a unified execution layer.
YZi Labs pointed to this evolution in its announcement, noting that a growing share of crypto trading volume is migrating from centralized exchanges to decentralized venues. While this shift improves transparency and self-custody, it also introduces new execution challenges, particularly for large traders operating on public blockchains.
The firm described this issue as a “transparency bug,” referring to the difficulty of executing sizable trades without signaling intent to the broader market. Onchain visibility can expose traders to front-running and slippage, making execution-focused tooling increasingly valuable.
Data from CoinGecko shows that while the DEX-to-CEX spot volume ratio peaked last June, the longer-term trend remains upward, reinforcing the need for infrastructure that prioritizes execution efficiency, privacy and cross-chain coordination.
YZi Labs said these dynamics were central to its decision to back Genius Trading, positioning execution-focused terminals as a foundational layer for the next phase of decentralized trading.
