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Binance, the largest centralized crypto exchange, will launch margin contracts for artificial intelligence-powered digital assets Griffain, AI16Z and ZEREBRO with up to 75x leverage. The three tokens were already listed on Binance Alpha, a feature used for researching and trading early-stage crypto projects. OKX also launched perpetual futures trading for GRIFFAIN and ZEREBRO late last year.
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The AI-themed crypto sector has gained momentum as one of the industry’s emerging trends. The ecosystem has reached a valuation of $10 billion within months, driven by exchange listings and a surge in token all-time highs. Following Binance’s margin trading announcement, the prices of GRIFFAIN, A16Z, and ZEREBRO rose significantly. Data from DEX Screener and CoinGecko showed A16Z increasing by over 12%, achieving a new all-time high of $2.47 and a market cap of $2.4 billion.
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ZEREBRO followed with a 15% price increase, reaching a valuation of $649 million. The token also set a new ATH on Jan. 2, peaking at $0.78. GRIFFAIN, despite a more modest 4% price gain, also hit a new ATH. All three tokens trade on Solana (SOL). AI protocols have transitioned from meme tokens to projects with utility and infrastructure.
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This shift gained traction during last year’s Solana meme mania, with projects initially leveraging tokens to build on-chain value, generate hype, and boost trading volumes. The sector’s genesis phase has evolved into real-world use cases. ZEREBRO, for instance, pivoted toward entertainment, including Spotify Albums. Meanwhile, A16Z’s Eliza framework is fueling an ecosystem of autonomous entities, highlighting the growing utility of AI-powered projects.
