DeFi is a term that refers to a range of financial applications that run on blockchain platforms, such as lending, borrowing, trading, investing, and more. These applications are powered by smart contracts, which are self-executing agreements that enforce the rules and terms of the transactions. Unlike traditional financial intermediaries, DeFi applications do not require any central authority or intermediary to operate, thus reducing costs, risks, and barriers to entry.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) shared his views on the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector and how it is reshaping the crypto industry. CZ expressed his optimism about the future of DeFi, saying that it has the potential to democratize finance and provide more opportunities for innovation and inclusion.
CZ said that DeFi is one of the main drivers of the crypto market growth, as it offers new use cases and value propositions for both users and developers. He said that Binance is supportive of the DeFi ecosystem and wants to help it grow and thrive. He also revealed that Binance has invested in several DeFi projects and platforms, such as PancakeSwap, 1inch, DODO, Injective Protocol, and others.
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
CZ also addressed some of the challenges and risks that DeFi faces, such as scalability, security, regulation, and education. He said that DeFi is still in its early stages and needs to overcome these hurdles to achieve mass adoption and mainstream recognition. He said that Binance is working on providing solutions and guidance for the DeFi community, such as offering low-cost and high-performance blockchain infrastructure, enhancing security and compliance standards, and educating users about the benefits and risks of DeFi.
According to a report by The Block, Binance has been contacting crypto projects that have a market capitalization of less than $10 million, offering them various incentives and benefits if they agree to list their tokens on Binance or migrate from other exchanges.
Some of the perks that Binance is offering include:
- Free listing fees and fast-track review process.
- Higher exposure and visibility on Binance’s website and app.
- Dedicated marketing and community support.
- Access to Binance’s liquidity and user base.
- Participation in Binance’s Launchpad, Launch pool, and other initiatives.
Binance’s move is seen as a way to attract more users and volume to its platform, as well as to diversify its portfolio of crypto assets. Binance currently lists over 1,500 tokens, but most of the trading activity is concentrated on the top 100 coins.
By reaching out to low-cap projects, Binance hopes to tap into the potential of emerging and innovative crypto sectors, such as decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and gaming. Binance also aims to support the development and growth of these projects by providing them with resources and guidance.
Binance’s strategy is not without risks, however. Listing low-cap tokens could expose Binance to regulatory scrutiny, as some of these projects may not comply with the legal requirements of different jurisdictions. Moreover, low-cap tokens are often more volatile and susceptible to market manipulation, which could harm Binance’s reputation and user trust.
Binance has not disclosed how many low-cap projects it has contacted or listed so far, but some examples include:
- Alpaca Finance (ALPACA), a leveraged yield farming protocol on Binance Smart Chain
- Dego Finance (DEGO), a cross-chain NFT and DeFi platform
- Unmarshal (MARSH), a multi-chain data indexing protocol
- Polkastarter (POLS), a decentralized fundraising platform on Polkadot
- SuperFarm (SUPER), an NFT farming platform and marketplace
Binance’s outreach to low-cap projects is part of its broader vision to become the ultimate destination for crypto users. Binance offers a wide range of products and services, such as spot and futures trading, margin and lending, staking and savings, P2P and OTC trading, education and research, charity and social impact, and more.
Binance’s founder and CEO, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), has stated that his goal is to make Binance “the infrastructure services provider for the entire blockchain ecosystem.” CZ concluded by saying that he believes that DeFi is the future of finance and that Binance will continue to support and participate in the DeFi revolution. He said that he hopes that DeFi will bring more freedom, fairness, and efficiency to the global financial system and empower millions of people around the world.