Binance Labs announced it will change its name and expanding its range of investments that includes secondary market transactions, OTC and other new projects. It also mentions the former Binance CZ as the company’s CEO. CZ who plans to “engage” in projects on a more personally level.’
In an earlier article on the day that was the last of the year 2024 Binance Labs announced that it would soon operate under a new name, and plans to invest in additional projects in 2025, particularly including cryptocurrency, blockchain, AI and Biotech as the primary areas of interest.
Binance Labs will also be expanding its investment capabilities beyond the primary market to include other transactions, like liquidity in the secondary markets and transactions that are not over-the-counter transactions, among others.
However the venture capital part that is part of Binance 
bnb2.84 percent BNB is also expecting that certain sectors of the market that had been “underperforming” in 2024, for instance, gaming ZK technology, gaming privacy solutions, to be able to make a comeback in 2025 when they advance to more advanced platforms in comparison to the prior year.
Furthermore, Binance Labs predicts that emerging industries like decentralized research, real-world assets, stabilized coins and artificial intelligence agents would continue to do very well by 2025 since these industries are poised to grow even more than they currently are.
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
The thread Binance Labs mentions a reference to the former Binance chief executive Changpeng “CZ” Zhao Zhao being “back in action” and his plans to invest in industrial projects at a personal level.
“With @CZ_Binance back in action, and spending a large portion of his time on investing in the industry, he is eager to connect with both existing and new founders, and engage with projects on a personal level,” said Binance Labs.
While it’s not officially confirmed from Binance Labs, many users saw this as an indication that CZ may be returning to Binance Labs in a less formal manner. It is however possible that CZ was merely referring to the involvement of CZ in blockchain industry’s newer areas that are booming, like AI and Biotech which could increase their odds of increasing their level in 2025.
For his very first interview from prison, CZ said that he is keen to help young entrepreneurs in the crypto industry and focused on two major projects: Giggle Academy and investments in blockchain technology, AI biotech, and blockchain.
Zhao has repeatedly stated numerous times that he does not have any plans of resuming his work at Binance or running any kind of project.
In the 2024 period alone, Binance Labs has invested in 46 projects. Of these, 14 are based using BNB Chain BNB Chain and from incubation programs. The VC arm said that 20 percent of their investments are from BNB-related projects. The remaining 32 projects come from direct investments.
Of the 46 projects Binance Labs has invested in Ten projects belong to DeFi, 7 projects originate from AI seven of that of the Bitcoin network 4 are in restaking 3 in the gaming sector 2 are in ZK technology two in RWA and two more consumer applications.
