BNB has climbed to a new record above $1,300, and YZi Labs is rolling out a $1 billion fund focused on projects within the BNB Chain. The move comes as market interest in BNB intensifies and the token becomes the third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap.
$1B Fund to Back Builders on BNB Chain
YZi Labs, founded by Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, has announced a $1 billion Builder Fund. The fund will support early-stage teams building on the BNB Chain across areas such as DeFi, real-world assets, artificial intelligence, and decentralized science.
Ella Zhang, who leads YZi Labs, described the BNB ecosystem as the “next phase of digital infrastructure.” She said the fund aims to help scale tools and services tied to payments, wallets, and smart contract platforms within the BNB network.
BNB Chain’s Most Valuable Builder (MVB) accelerator will be part of YZi’s Easy Residency program. Startups accepted into the program can access up to $500,000 in funding, along with support from YZi Labs and its investor network.
Strong Backing and On-Chain Growth
YZi Labs, previously Binance Labs, has a history of backing projects tied to BNB. Its portfolio includes PancakeSwap, ListaDAO, Aspecta, and Aster. It has also supported initiatives like the BNB Digital Asset Treasury and the BNB Yield Fund.
The fund’s announcement follows a sharp rise in BNB’s market performance. BNB’s total market value rose above $182 billion this week. Blockchain data suggests that Changpeng Zhao holds roughly 64% of the token supply, bringing his estimated BNB holdings to over $116 billion.
Addressing questions about its structure, YZi Labs stated, “While the capital originates from CZ, YZi Labs’ structure and operations differ from a traditional family office.” The company added that it focuses on long-term investment and incubation.
Traders Turn to BNB Chain for Speculation
Retail activity on the BNB Chain has surged. Several traders have posted large gains from small-cap tokens. One trader turned $3,500 into $7.9 million in three days, while another flipped $360,000 into more than $5 million. These moves followed social media posts by CZ that drew attention to certain tokens.
The memecoin “4” gained traction after a phishing event turned into a meme, with many traders jumping in after CZ reshared a post about the token. One wallet reportedly made nearly $2 million after investing just $3,000.
According to on-chain data firm Bubblemaps, about 70% of traders on BNB Chain are currently in profit. Over 40 wallets have earned at least $1 million in the past week alone.
“BNB Meme Szn” Gains Momentum
Changpeng Zhao referred to the spike in activity as “BNB meme szn,” commenting that the trend caught him off guard. Marwan Kawadri, DeFi lead at BNB Chain, said trading culture is at the center of the chain’s growth. “BNB Chain has always been strong in DeFi, but right now, it’s becoming the heartbeat of onchain trading,” he said.
Smart money wallets have also shifted attention to BNB. According to Nansen, the top three tokens bought by high-performing wallets this week were all native to the BNB Chain.
More than 100,000 wallets have bought into BNB memecoins over the past few days. Nearly 1,000 of those traders earned at least $100,000 in profit, with one wallet clearing over $10 million. As attention grows, both investors and traders are watching how the next wave of BNB activity unfolds.
