Binance Backs AI-Backed Yield Asset to Fuel DePIN Growth

YZi Labs, the investment arm of Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, has announced a new initiative to support USD.AI, a yield-bearing synthetic dollar asset backed by loans against AI hardware, compute, and DePIN assets. This move highlights the growing intersection between blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, with USD.AI targeting an annual percentage yield of 15–25% by functioning like a high-yield bond index. The asset aims to bridge the gap between AI infrastructure and the financing needed to scale these technologies, offering a structured way for investors to participate in the AI-driven economy. Additionally, USD.AI incorporates mechanisms that allow arbitrageurs to maintain its peg to the U.S. dollar, ensuring price stability despite the volatile nature of the underlying assets.

YZi Labs’ backing of USD.AI is part of a broader strategy to position Binance’s ecosystem as a leading hub for blockchain and AI innovation. The firm is also supporting B Strategy, another investment vehicle that recently announced plans to launch a $1 billion BNB treasury, further emphasizing the role of BNB as a strategic reserve asset. B Strategy, led by former Bitmain executives, aims to launch a U.S.-listed company that will serve as a public market vehicle for BNB, drawing comparisons to Berkshire Hathaway in terms of its long-term investment approach. The initiative will focus on transparency, governance, and institutional-grade exposure to BNB, with the goal of attracting both institutional and retail investors to the BNB ecosystem.

The move toward structured investment vehicles backed by BNB and AI assets reflects a larger trend in the crypto industry, where traditional financial models are being adapted to accommodate digital assets. This is particularly relevant for investors seeking stable returns in a volatile market. The U.S.-listed structure of B Strategy’s proposed treasury aims to provide a level of regulatory clarity and investor confidence that has been historically absent in the crypto space. Binance’s extensive influence over the BNB supply—Zhao currently controls approximately 64% of the total supply—positions the company to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of BNB as a reserve asset.

In parallel, USD.AI is designed to serve as a financial bridge for DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) projects, which have the potential to achieve exponential growth when leveraged with debt financing. DePIN projects, such as blockchain-based drone networks and AI infrastructure, are increasingly relying on tokenized assets to scale their operations and attract capital. USD.AI’s structure allows these projects to access funding while maintaining financial stability through yield-generating mechanisms. This model could potentially drive reinvestment and scalability in the DePIN space, accelerating the deployment of decentralized infrastructure solutions.

The regulatory environment for both BNB and AI-backed assets remains in flux, particularly in markets where government oversight is expanding. Recent developments surrounding AI hardware, such as Nvidia’s H20 chip, highlight the geopolitical tensions affecting the supply and use of advanced computing technologies. The U.S. government has imposed export controls on high-end AI chips, citing national security concerns, while China has raised questions about potential security risks associated with these technologies. Despite these challenges, USD.AI and similar initiatives continue to operate within a framework of regulatory compliance, leveraging U.S. financial infrastructure to offer investors access to the AI-driven economy.

As the crypto and AI landscapes continue to evolve, the convergence of these two sectors is expected to yield innovative financial instruments that blend the transparency of blockchain with the scalability of AI infrastructure. USD.AI and BNB-focused treasuries represent just the beginning of what could become a broader shift toward tokenized assets that serve as both investment vehicles and operational funding tools for next-generation technology projects. With YZi Labs and Binance at the forefront of these developments, the industry is poised to see further experimentation in asset-backed stablecoins and structured investment models that cater to the growing demand for yield in a post-stablecoin regulatory environment.

Source: [1] Binance's CZ family office backs another BNB treasury (https://cointelegraph.com/news/binance-cz-family-office-bnb-treasury-launch-us) [2] BNB-Focused Treasury Firm B Strategy looks to Raise $1 (https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/25/bnb-focused-u-s-treasury-company-to-launch-with-backing-from-binance-founders-and-former-bitmain-cfo) [3] USDai (USDAI) Price Today, News & Live Chart (https://www.forbes.com/digital-assets/assets/usdai-usdai-2/) [4] Nvidia looking to halt H20 chip production after China (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/22/nvidia-halt-h20-chip-production-china-cracks-down.html) [5] Exclusive: Nvidia working on new AI chip for China that (https://www.reuters.com/world/china/nvidia-working-new-ai-chip-china-that-outperforms-h20-sources-say-2025-08-19/) [6] Nvidia responds to reports that its H20 GPU for China is (https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/nvidia-responds-to-reports-that-its-h20-gpu-for-china-is-ending-production-next-gen-b30a-green-light-up-to-the-united-states-government-according-to-ceo-jensen-huang)