Project Overview and Investment Details
YZi Labs has announced a significant investment of "tens of millions of dollars" into Genius, a privacy-focused decentralized exchange (DEX). Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder of Binance, will also be joining Genius as an advisor. This strategic investment aims to bolster on-chain alternatives and draw increased attention to the decentralized finance sector. Genius has demonstrated substantial activity in its test phase, processing over $60 million in test volume and supporting more than 10 blockchain networks. The platform has clarified that its positioning is distinct and does not directly compete with other DEXs like Aster.
Genius is designed as a privacy-centric decentralized exchange platform that offers spot trading, perpetual contracts, and copy trading functionalities. It currently supports over 10 public chains, including prominent networks like BNB Chain and Solana. The overarching goal of Genius is to establish itself as a robust on-chain alternative to centralized exchanges such as Binance, aiming to replicate the speed, liquidity, and privacy features associated with CEXs while ensuring users maintain full self-custody and non-custodial control over their assets and private keys. The platform has already achieved a significant milestone by processing over $60 million in trading volume during its testing phase. A public test of its privacy protocol is slated for Q2 2026. This latest funding round follows a $6 million seed funding round announced in October 2024, which was led by CMCC Global and included participation from notable institutions such as Cadenza Ventures, AVA Labs, Arca, and Flow Traders.
In response to community speculation that YZi Labs' investment in Genius might negatively impact Aster, CZ addressed the matter on X, clarifying, "Genius is a trading terminal that connects to exchanges, not a competitor to Aster."
Further elaborating on the relationship between Genius and Aster, Genius's CMO, Ryan, addressed community inquiries regarding potential competition. Ryan stated, "I think both are important. Aster is a very important perpetual contract exchange. I believe YZi Labs’ motivation for investing in Genius is to enable everyone to access any token on any chain (soon to be done privately)."
The consensus from both CZ and the Genius team indicates that Genius and Aster are positioned differently within the market and are not considered direct competitors.
Interactive Guide to Earning Genius Points (GP)
The platform offers a structured approach for users to interact with Genius and earn GP points, which are crucial for potential future rewards. The following steps outline how to get started and engage with the platform:
STEP 1: Access the Platform and Connect Wallet
Navigate to the official Genius website. Utilizing a provided referral link grants an initial bonus of 500 GP points. After accessing the site, click on "Start Trading" and then select "Sign In" from the top menu to connect your wallet.
STEP 2: View GP Points and Referral Link
Once logged in, click on "Airdrop" located at the top of the interface. This section displays your current GP points balance and provides your personal referral link for inviting others.
STEP 3: Accumulate Trading Volume and Earn Points
Within the "Airdrop" section, the "Points" subsection details how to earn GP. Accumulating $10,000 in trading volume rewards users with 1200 GP points. For every additional $1,000 in trading volume beyond the initial $10,000 threshold, an extra 200 GP points are awarded, with no upper limit. Furthermore, engaging in at least one trade daily qualifies users for a free spin on the platform's wheel. An additional wheel spin is granted for every $10,000 increase in trading volume.
Additional rules for earning points through trading include:
- •Users earn 1 GP point for every $100 in spot trading volume or $1000 in perpetual contract trading volume completed.
- •A trading streak multiplier is awarded after maintaining a trading activity for 7 consecutive days. This multiplier resets if a day of trading is missed.
- •Both the base multiplier and the streak multiplier are applied to spot and perpetual contract trades. Referral points are not included in these multipliers.
STEP 4: Leverage Referrals for Additional Points
The "Referrals" subsection within the "Airdrop" section allows users to invite friends and earn additional GP points. This provides a direct incentive for community growth.
STEP 5: Engage with Social Channels
The "Social" subsection under "Airdrop" provides access to the official social media channels of Genius. While the "Token Rewards" section is not yet active, engaging with social media can keep users informed about platform updates and future opportunities.
STEP 6: Deposit Assets for Trading
To begin trading, users need to deposit assets into their Genius account. The "Deposit" function, accessible from the top menu, supports deposits of assets from EVM-compatible chains, Solana, and SUI. The platform officially recommends depositing ETH or USDC for trading purposes.
Optimized Strategy for Low-Cost GP Point Accumulation
Based on practical interaction with the Genius platform, a strategy has been developed to efficiently accumulate GP points with minimized costs. The operational approach is detailed below:
1. Minimize Slippage with Stablecoin Trading: To mitigate potential losses from token price fluctuations, it is recommended to conduct spot trades using stablecoin pairs such as USDC-USDT. This strategy ensures that the primary focus is on accumulating trading volume rather than speculating on volatile asset prices.
2. Maximize Transaction Size to Reduce Gas Fees: Analysis of transaction costs indicates that larger single transaction amounts result in a more favorable gas fee-to-trade value ratio. For instance, the gas fees incurred for a $400 trade are nearly identical to those for a $100 trade. Therefore, consolidating trades into larger amounts can significantly reduce overall transaction expenses.
3. Maintain Daily Activity for Wheel Spins: Once the threshold of $10,000 in trading volume is met, qualifying for the wheel spin becomes a daily opportunity. To maintain this eligibility, users only need to execute one trade per day. This approach avoids the need for aggressive, high-frequency trading and focuses on consistent daily engagement to maximize potential rewards from the wheel spin.
