CZ’s Latest Gamble: Opinion Surges 40%, but is it Too Good to be True?

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In a rather peculiar turn of events, YZi Labs- the venture capital behemoth birthed by Binance‘s co-founder, the one and only Changpeng “CZ” Zhao- has decided to double down on its predictions market frenzy. And how do we know this? Because one of its beloved portfolio platforms just experienced an unusual spike in trading volume. 🤔

CZ, ever the digital sage, took to X on Wednesday (because where else?) to announce that Predict.fun, backed by YZi, was the latest addition to the prediction market circus launching on the BNB Chain. What a time to be alive!

He graciously shared his wisdom with the masses: “When you make a prediction, your funds don’t sit idle, they generate yield,” he tweeted, adding, almost as an afterthought, “This tweet is not endorsement.” Oh, CZ- always keeping us on our toes! 😏

This wasn’t exactly a spontaneous outburst, mind you. No, no- CZ’s post came just a few weeks after the sensational rise of Opinion, another prediction market drenched in the YZi-backed magic sauce, which briefly stole the show from heavyweights like Kalshi and Polymarket. So, what’s behind this meteoric rise? Let’s dive in, shall we?

What is Opinion and why is it booming? (Spoiler: it’s got something to do with YZi)

Meet Opinion, the decentralized prediction market born from the restless minds of Opinion Labs, a Hong Kong-based company that threw itself into existence in 2023. All thanks to Forrest Liu- their fearless leader, who according to the mighty data of Tracxn.com, has the startup credentials to make any Silicon Valley exec weep in envy.

They made their grand debut with a closed beta event, the O.LAB Prediction Tradathon in 2024. Yes, that’s a thing. Why not throw in a trendy name, right? And guess what? Opinion Labs didn’t even wait to let us breathe before announcing they were backed by none other than YZi Labs- which, at the time, still had the ever-coveted Binance branding. Oh, how quickly things change! 😆

Then, in March 2025, the universe threw a little gift their way: Opinion Labs secured a cool $5 million in seed funding, with YZi leading the charge. Other noble investors such as Echo, Animoca Ventures, Manifold Trading, and Amber Group followed suit. Can you smell the money? Because it’s practically sizzling. 💸

After this delightful cash infusion, Opinion debuted on BNB Chain in October, with CZ casually confirming that YZi now holds a minority stake in the platform. He graciously played down his involvement in a now-deleted X post, claiming, “We are just a minority investor, but we try to add strategic value.” Such modesty. It’s almost touching. 💖

Opinion’s reported volume breaks records… Wait, what?

What had previously been a quiet corner of the prediction market landscape is now making waves. Opinion surged past established players like Kalshi and Polymarket in trading activity in a manner so fast, you’d swear they had some sort of rocket boosters hidden under the hood. 🚀

In just four weeks, the weekly trading volume on Opinion skyrocketed to nearly $1.5 billion. For context, Kalshi barely scratched $1.2 billion, and Polymarket was hovering around $1 billion, according to data compiled by Dunedata on Dune Analytics. It seems Opinion was suddenly the hottest thing in town. 📈

With a $1.5 billion weekly volume, Opinion captured a staggering 40% of the $3.7 billion prediction market pie. To put it simply: they shattered records. Kalshi’s peak during the US 2024 elections? Cute. Opinion just smashed it like a toddler with a piñata. 🏆

Of course, not everyone is buying the hype. Some experts are scratching their heads, raising eyebrows in disbelief. “Opinion’s volume jump is extreme by any standard,” said Cais Manai, co-founder of TEN Protocol. According to him, platforms don’t just go from obscure to chart-topping in a matter of weeks unless there’s some secret sauce- or a small army of bots- behind the scenes. 😬

“When you zoom in, the pattern looks more like engineered activity than a sudden mass onboarding… A lot of the volume across prediction markets right now is inflated. Everyone sees it, even if nobody wants to say it outright.”

Prediction markets hit $13 billion record, yet Binance remains… silent?

The news of Opinion’s rise comes amidst a surge in prediction markets. These markets reached a record-breaking $13 billion in trading activity in November, despite the crypto markets facing a bit of a downturn. But here’s the kicker-Binance, the kingpin of crypto exchanges, is still keeping its cards close to the chest regarding prediction markets. Shocking, right? 😒

Meanwhile, fanatical sports merchandiser Fanatics launched its own prediction market, Fanatics Markets, with access across 24 US states. Other crypto platforms, including Coinbase and MetaMask, have jumped in as well. But Binance? They just launched Trust Wallet’s “Predictions” section, but that’s about it. And it doesn’t seem like they’re in any rush to join the prediction party. 🍿

CryptoMoon, ever the curious cat, reached out to Binance for a comment on their plans for prediction markets. Guess what? We still haven’t heard back. Surprise, surprise. 🕵️‍♂️

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2025-12-04 14:19