YZi Labs Invests in Genius Trading Terminal With CZ as Advisor

YZi Labs has announced its investment in Genius, a professional trading terminal designed to serve as a private interface for on-chain execution. The venture comes with Binance founder CZ serving as an advisor to the project.

https://t.co/KTkgvIpqIO

— YZi Labs (@yzilabs) January 13, 2026

The investment reflects YZi Labs’ thesis of backing infrastructure that combines centralized exchange speed and liquidity with decentralized principles. Genius aims to deliver these features without compromising user ownership or decentralization.

The platform consolidates trading across BNB Chain, Solana, Ethereum, and six additional networks into a single venue. Privacy and execution speed stand as the core priorities for the terminal’s development.

As decentralized exchange volume continues gaining ground against centralized venues, professional traders face what Genius calls the “transparency bug.” Large position movements often alert the market, causing traders to lose their competitive edge.

YZi Labs-Backed Ghost Orders and Multi-Party Computation

Genius distinguishes itself through its proprietary ‘Ghost Order’ type. The feature leverages Multi-Party Computation technology to generate ephemeral wallet clusters that operate simultaneously.

This architecture allows high-value actors to execute complex strategies across hundreds of addresses. Funding links remain confidential from public view while staying cryptographically auditable.

The system maintains a non-custodial structure throughout all operations. Users can execute sophisticated strategies without surrendering access to their private keys at any point.

The newly raised funds will accelerate the development of the privacy protocol. Genius has scheduled an open-access launch for late 2026.

Meanwhile, the capital will also scale liquidity across the platform’s 10-plus supported networks. The team described the funding as putting “gasoline on an already lit fire.”

Founders and Investors Speak on the Partnership

Armaan Kalsi, co-founder and CEO of Genius, emphasized the strategic nature of the investment. He described YZi Labs as the industry’s most thorough and well-resourced backer.

The funding is about alignment more than anything else; the partnership focuses on creating an on-chain Binance

Kalsi stated

while addressing what makes CEXs superior: privacy.

Ella Zhang, Head of YZi Labs, recalled meeting Kalsi at the NYC Builder Bunker during a BNB Chain MVB demo. She noted his “distinct energy of a founder who’s going to win.”

Zhang highlighted that Kalsi had already secured an angel round from high-profile investors while still a student. She pulled him aside after his demo, recognizing the opportunity immediately.

Alex Odagiu, Investment Partner at YZi Labs, provided additional context on the investment rationale. He noted the decentralized economy is maturing beyond basic tools.

The market is moving toward a true execution layer with the sophistication of traditional financial terminals

Odagiu said.

He described DeFi as long, fragmented and complex.

By unifying liquidity and prioritizing privacy with high-velocity execution, Genius positions itself as a “command center.” The platform targets the next generation of institutional and power users.

Following this announcement, YZi Labs also revealed its investment in Funes on November 6, 2025. Funes is an AI-powered platform building a comprehensive digital archive of humanity’s architectural heritage.

YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs) has announced an investment in digital heritage platform Funes, supporting its mission to build open 3D architectural model archive. The project aims to preserve human cultural heritage sites and architectural forms using AI and crowdsourced…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) November 6, 2025

The Funes backing aligns with YZi Labs’ strategy of supporting projects that combine cultural preservation with AI and Web3 infrastructure. The platform employs crowd-sourced photogrammetry and computer vision technology.

Funes operates as what the team calls “Wikipedia for physical memory.” It compiles a living archive of humanity’s constructed heritage through detailed 3D modeling.