Last year, the venture capital institution Binance Labs, which split from the cryptocurrency leader - "Binance", announced it will undergo a rebranding in 2025 while also expanding its investment strategy for the coming year. Binance founder Zhao Changpeng (CZ) will also be deeply involved in cryptocurrency project investments.
Binance Labs had already separated from Binance at the beginning of 2024, becoming a fully independent cryptocurrency venture capital institution. This rebranding further emphasizes the company's independence and its evolving vision for development.
At Binance Labs (soon to be rebranded), we’re laser-focused on fundamentals, aiming for long-term impact. Going into 2025 and beyond, we’ll continue to provide evergreen support to founders who share our vision of building for the long term.
As we conclude 2024, let's review the…
— Binance Labs Fund (@BinanceLabs) December 31, 2024
Binance Labs stated yesterday (31) on the social platform X that Zhao Changpeng will devote more time to cryptocurrency project investments in the future.
With CZ returning to the stage and spending significant time investing in the cryptocurrency industry, he is very much looking forward to connecting with founders of innovative projects and participating in the development of these projects on a personal level.
Zhao Changpeng pleaded guilty in November 2023 to violating the Bank Secrecy Act and reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, agreeing to pay a $50 million personal fine and resign from his position as CEO of Binance. He was subsequently sentenced to 4 months in prison and was released after completing his sentence on September 27 of last year.
Although Zhao Changpeng was "prohibited from participating in the operation or management of Binance" after his release from prison, he is still committed to promoting innovation in the cryptocurrency industry, focusing on investments in artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, and his educational project, Giggle Academy.
2024: A Year of Achievement
Binance Labs describes "2024 as an extraordinary year", having completed a total of 46 investment cases, 14 of which came from the BNB Chain-centered MVB program or Binance Labs incubation program, while the remaining 32 were direct investments.
Last year, Binance Labs' investment scope covered both infrastructure and applications, each accounting for half, specifically including: 10 DeFi projects, 7 AI projects, 7 Bitcoin ecosystem projects, 4 re-staking projects, 3 gaming projects, 2 ZK technology projects, 2 real-world asset (RWA) tokenization projects, and 2 consumer applications.
In addition, emerging fields like the Move system and decentralized science (DeSci) are also key focuses for Binance Labs, with investment coverage spanning major mainstream blockchains such as Ethereum, Solana, TON, Ethereum Layer 2 solutions, and even including Berachain and Monad, while BNB ecosystem projects account for 20%, highlighting Binance Labs' diverse layout strategy.
Looking forward to 2025: Riding the Momentum
Binance Labs holds an optimistic view of the market prospects for 2025, especially with the support of the new U.S. president Donald Trump, as the cryptocurrency regulatory environment is expected to improve significantly, further attracting more institutional investors to enter the market, accelerating industry development and maturation.
Looking ahead, Binance Labs stated that the investment focus for 2025 will be on blockchain and cryptocurrency technology, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and the intersectional innovations in these fields.
On the other hand, Binance Labs will also expand its investment strategy, including entering high-potential areas such as the secondary market and over-the-counter (OTC) trading, further strengthening its market position.
Meanwhile, Binance Labs also expects that as technology moves from the development stage to mass production, some relatively sluggish areas, such as gaming, ZK technology, and privacy solutions, have the potential to experience a revival this year.
"Binance Labs announces rebranding, CZ will participate in cryptocurrency project investments in a 'personal capacity'" was first published on (BlockTempo).
