Well, it looks like BNB Chain is having a moment. On September 17th, the network hit a pretty staggering number: 51.6 million monthly active addresses. That’s a new record, apparently. And it’s not just about people showing up—the chain is actually making more money. Fees and revenue are both up over 23% in the last month. When more people use it, and it earns more, that usually means something’s working.
More Than Just User Growth
But it’s not only about user counts. The value locked in the chain is sitting around $7.68 billion. Sure, that’s still way down from the crazy peaks of 2021, but it’s not nothing. The chain supports over a thousand projects now, from DeFi to gaming. It’s becoming a real ecosystem, not just a side feature of the Binance exchange.
Marwan Kawadri, who works with BNB Chain, pointed to their large user base—4 million daily active users—and deep liquidity as reasons for the growth. He mentioned they’re aiming for a “CEX-like experience,” which I think means they want transactions to feel as fast as using a centralized exchange. Under 150 milliseconds fast, to be specific.
Zhao’s Moves and Market Reactions
And then there’s Changpeng Zhao. The Binance founder has been making noise lately. He’s planning a $1 billion BNB Treasury Company, backed by YZi Labs, to support what he calls “top institutional projects.” He was pretty selective about it in an interview, saying they’ve been approached by tons of companies but will only work with the very strongest.
This announcement—plus some speculation about his return to Binance—seems to have stirred the market. On September 18th, BNB touched $1,000. That’s a first. As of writing, it’s hovering just below that, but still up significantly over the week.
Rumors of a Return
Speaking of Zhao returning to Binance—that’s the rumor mill working overtime. He recently changed his X profile back to “@binance” instead of “ex-@binance,” which got people talking. He stepped down almost two years ago after that huge settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. There’s also talk that compliance restrictions on Binance might ease soon.
But for what it’s worth, Zhao has said he doesn’t plan to come back as CEO. Then again, in crypto, things change fast. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. Either way, people are paying attention.
All this activity—user growth, price action, Zhao’s plans—paints a picture of a network that’s finding its footing. It’s not just riding a wave; it’s building something. Where it goes from here, who knows. But it’s definitely one to watch.
