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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.
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.
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.
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.
