YZi Labs, the venture arm formerly known as Binance Labs, has led a $50 million seed round in Better Payment Network (BPN), a startup aiming to modernize cross-border payments using stablecoins.
Key Takeaways:
YZi Labs led a $50 million seed round for BPN to build onchain liquidity pools and expand stablecoin payment infrastructure. BPN’s hybrid CeDeFi system aims to cut cross-border settlement time from days to hours. The startup plans to launch a DeFi FX market supporting up to 20 regional stablecoins.The funding marks one of the largest early-stage rounds in the payments sector this year and signals a major bet on CeDeFi (centralized-decentralized finance) infrastructure for emerging markets.
BPN to Use $50M Funding to Build Onchain Liquidity Pools
According to Thursday’s announcement, BPN will use the capital to build onchain liquidity pools and market-making systems to support stablecoin-to-stablecoin transactions.
The company, built on BNB Chain, integrates traditional financial compliance with DeFi automation to enable real-time minting, swapping, and settlement of fiat-backed stablecoins across different jurisdictions.
BPN’s model seeks to solve a long-standing inefficiency in international payments. Traditional fintechs rely on pre-funding, holding large sums in local accounts just to ensure liquidity.
BPN’s hybrid CeDeFi system replaces that with real-time stablecoin issuance, freeing trapped capital and cutting settlement time from days to just a few hours.
The company claims transaction costs can drop from roughly 2% to 0.3%, creating a cheaper, faster, and more inclusive payment network.
Rica Fu, BPN’s founder, said the startup’s “multi-stablecoin liquidity model offers a more inclusive and efficient alternative to USD-centric payment systems.”
The platform already facilitates transactions across corridors such as Brazil (BBRL), Nigeria (cNGN), Mexico (MEXAS), and the Eurozone (EURI), helping enterprises and licensed payment institutions complete compliant, KYC-aligned transfers.
In addition to its regulated CeFi layer, BPN plans to launch a DeFi FX market by the end of the year.
The permissionless protocol will support up to 20 regional stablecoins across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, allowing users to swap stablecoins, farm liquidity, and earn yield without intermediaries.
Dana H., Investment Partner at YZi Labs, described BPN as “a true game-changer for cross-border payments,” saying it delivers instant settlement, cost savings, and scalability that “could outperform both traditional Web2 players and fragmented Web3 solutions.”
The investment fits YZi Labs’ broader thesis of backing next-generation financial infrastructure that places stablecoins at the core.
White House Weighs Pardon for Binance Founder Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao
The White House has reportedly intensified discussions over a potential presidential pardon for Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, according to an October 12 New York Post report.
Sources cited by Fox Business journalist Charles Gasparino claim that President Donald Trump is “leaning toward a pardon,” despite concerns among advisors about how it could appear given his financial ties to the crypto industry.
Zhao pleaded guilty in November 2023 to failing to maintain adequate anti-money laundering controls at Binance, leading to his resignation as CEO.
The talks come nearly a year after Zhao publicly hinted he “wouldn’t mind a pardon” following President Joe Biden’s controversial decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, in 2024.
The potential pardon has already sparked backlash from Senator Elizabeth Warren, who sent a letter to White House Counsel David Warrington and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, warning that Zhao’s request raises “urgent concerns about the integrity of the justice system.”
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