Sign total financing breaks 55 million USD! YZi Labs gets on board to lead the investment, challenging national-level Blockchain.

A round of strategic financing of $25.5 million led by YZi Labs, which was renamed from Binance Labs, also saw participation from IDG Capital. In January of this year, Sign raised $16 million from YZi Labs, marking the first investment after the company's renaming. Sign has raised over $55 million in total across its seed round, Series A, and strategic round financing.

YZi Labs has shown continued optimism towards Sign by investing in two consecutive rounds

(Source: X)

YZi Labs, which was renamed from Binance Labs, has invested in Sign twice in just 9 months, totaling over $41.5 million. This kind of consecutive heavy investment is extremely rare in the venture capital field and usually indicates that the leading investor has a very high confidence in the strategic value and execution capability of the project. YZi Labs, renamed from Binance Labs, is one of the most influential crypto venture capital institutions globally, and its portfolio includes star projects such as Polygon, Dune Analytics, and Optimism.

In January 2025, YZi Labs' $16 million investment in Sign was the first investment after the institution's name change, and the timing of this choice is highly symbolic. It shows that Sign occupies a core position in YZi Labs' new strategic layout. Now, leading a $25.5 million strategic round again demonstrates that Sign's development over the past 9 months has exceeded expectations, proving the correctness of its technological direction and market strategy.

The participation of IDG Capital brings another heavyweight endorsement to Sign. IDG Capital is one of the largest technology venture capital funds in Asia, investing in a portfolio of companies.

Including technology giants such as Baidu, Tencent, and Xiaomi. IDG typically focuses on projects with large-scale commercial application potential, and its investment in the Sign certification protocol suggests that it is not only a tool for the native crypto scene but may also enter traditional enterprises and government markets.

Sign has raised over $55 million in total through seed rounds, Series A rounds, and strategic rounds of financing. This scale of financing is considered above average for infrastructure-type blockchain projects, sufficient to support 2 to 3 years of product development and market expansion. More importantly, the financing structure indicates that Sign is moving from the early product validation stage (seed round) to the commercialization expansion stage (strategic round), which is a typical characteristic of healthy startups.

What is Sign Protocol? Full Chain Certification Infrastructure

Sign Protocol is a full-chain certification protocol that enables users to freely prove and verify any information on the chain. In a rapidly developing world and network, simple trust becomes increasingly inefficient, while verifying everything becomes more important. Sign Protocol provides a set of tools, infrastructure, and standards aimed at creating a future where all statements and assertions in our network and surrounding world are driven by verifiable proofs.

It leverages modern technologies (such as decentralized blockchain and data storage solutions) as well as new techniques like zero-knowledge encryption and digital signatures to achieve this goal. Certification technology has existed in the traditional world for several centuries, but it is often complex, inefficient, and costly. In the past, individuals needed to submit a copy of their bank account balance summary to institutions like banks or notaries for certification in order to use that copy to apply for apartment rentals. Today, with certification services, anyone can independently access and verifiably prove the authenticity of their bank account information without incurring the costs and expenses of going to banks and notaries.

Sign Protocol aims to ensure that proofs are more publicly accessible and user-friendly, enabling them to spread as a core primitive in our daily lives, the real world, and on the internet. At Sign, the core idea has always been “simplicity.” This concept is fully embodied in their efforts to simplify Web3 document signing. For centuries, certification has been a complex process, often stemming from its inherent inefficiencies or unnecessary complexities. Sign is committed to changing this status quo, envisioning a future where using Sign Protocol for certification is as simple and intuitive as making a phone call.

Core application scenarios of Sign Protocol:

Decentralized Identity Verification: Users can create verifiable credentials without relying on centralized authorities.

On-Chain Credit System: DeFi protocols can assess credit ratings based on users' on-chain authentication records.

Supply Chain Traceability: Companies can create an immutable proof of origin for products to combat counterfeit goods.

Academic Qualifications and Certifications: Educational institutions and professional certification bodies can issue blockchain-certified certificates.

Voting and Governance: DAOs can use certification systems to ensure the authenticity and uniqueness of voting rights.

These application scenarios span multiple fields such as DeFi, supply chain, education, and governance, demonstrating the versatility and market potential of the Sign Protocol.

National-Level Blockchain Ambition: Leading Ripple and Solana

Sign CEO Yan Min revealed to Blockworks that Sign is building digital infrastructure and plans to use this funding to expand its technical team. Sign “is actively looking for top talent in the fields of Hyperledger Fabric, zero-knowledge proofs, and interoperability. Additionally, we are establishing local teams in various countries/regions.” The capital will also be used to expand various partnerships aimed at promoting the development of sovereign blockchain infrastructure.

Yan Min stated: “The cryptocurrency industry currently has rich technology, but lacks applications. Investors and our team believe that now is the time to unite and collectively address the greatest barrier to cryptocurrency applications: cooperation with various countries. Our goal is to implement progressive solutions that benefit all countries while respecting existing regulations.” This statement reveals the strategic positioning of Sign: not a decentralized radical opposing the government, but a pragmatic builder willing to cooperate with regulatory agencies.

The team is currently collaborating with Thailand, South Korea, and “leading tech countries in Central Asia and the Middle East,” but Yan did not disclose specific details. Both Thailand and South Korea are countries that hold an open attitude towards blockchain technology; the Thai government is already exploring Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), while South Korea has one of the most active cryptocurrency trading markets in the world. Sign's choice of these markets as a breakthrough point demonstrates its strategic focus on regulatory-friendly markets.

“Although the concept of a national-level blockchain is still a new thing, we believe it is crucial to adopt new technologies in an incremental manner. Tempo and other projects share the same view. However, we expect to be the first cryptocurrency company to implement a digital currency system nationwide, ahead of competitors like Ripple or Solana,” Yan said.

This is an extremely ambitious goal. Ripple has been collaborating with central banks around the world for years to develop CBDC solutions and has conducted pilot projects in multiple countries. Solana is also actively expanding into the government and enterprise markets, promoting its high-performance blockchain technology. Sign claims it will lead against these strong competitors, needing to excel in technical reliability, compliance, and execution speed.

Hyperledger Fabric and Zero-Knowledge Proof Technology Roadmap

Sign is actively seeking top talents in the fields of Hyperledger Fabric, zero-knowledge proofs, and interoperability. The choice of these three technical directions reveals the characteristics of Sign's technical architecture. Hyperledger Fabric is an enterprise-level permissioned blockchain framework used by large companies like IBM and Walmart for supply chain management and enterprise applications. By choosing this technology stack, Sign indicates that its certification protocol serves not only public chains but will also support enterprise-level permissioned chains.

Zero-knowledge proof technology allows users to prove the authenticity of certain information without exposing specific data. For example, users can prove that their bank balance exceeds $100,000 without disclosing the exact amount. This privacy protection feature is crucial for national-level blockchains, as governments and enterprises need to strike a balance between data transparency and privacy protection. Sign's investment in the field of zero-knowledge proofs demonstrates its emphasis on privacy compliance.

Interoperability is the key to solving the fragmentation problem of blockchain. The Sign Protocol, as a full-chain certification protocol, needs to operate seamlessly across multiple blockchains such as Ethereum, Solana, Aptos, and TON. This cross-chain interoperability will allow Sign's certification records to be verified and transmitted across different chains, preventing users from being locked into a single ecosystem.

In addition, Sign also repurchases its native token SIGN through public market purchases and private settlements. Token repurchase is a mechanism that returns platform profits to token holders and directly supports the token price. The initiation of this repurchase plan signifies that Sign has begun to generate profits, moving from the pure investment phase to the monetization phase.

The Evolution from Web3 Document Signing to Full Chain Certification Protocols

Sign is the predecessor of EthSign, initially focused on Web3 document signing services. This is a relatively simple yet practical application scenario: DAOs need to sign governance proposals, project parties need to sign SAFT (Simple Agreement for Future Tokens) with investors, and individuals need to sign on-chain contracts. EthSign has succeeded in this niche market, seamlessly integrating with multiple blockchain ecosystems (including Solana, Aptos, TON, etc.) and creating a user-friendly platform.

However, the team realized that document signing is just a small part of the broader certification market. In daily life, the information we need to prove and verify goes far beyond document signatures: educational qualifications, work experience, credit records, asset ownership, health status, and so on. Sign Protocol was born to address this broader need; it is no longer limited to document signing but provides a universal certification framework.

Certification has indeed opened up a unique field in the digital realm, distinguishing itself from other popular forms of digital ownership like NFTs. They are equivalent to digital notary seals, serving as universal authenticity stamps that transcend the limitations of any single domain or platform. While domain names and decentralized identifiers (DIDs) are excellent cornerstones for establishing identity, proofs are the foundation of historical records and public reputation. With the help of the Sign Protocol, users can extend their identity beyond usernames or domains, telling their story to the world around them through proofs.

Sign has also launched the “Best Developer Feedback Award,” which is awarded to developers who provide insightful and constructive feedback that significantly enhances the functionality and usability of the Sign Protocol. Awardees will receive a $300 gift card, a feature highlight in an upcoming blog post, and priority access to future updates of the beta version. This community incentive program demonstrates Sign's commitment to building a developer ecosystem.

Now, the team will continue to work towards national trading and further develop the infrastructure. If Sign successfully implements a nationwide digital currency system or certification infrastructure in a certain country, it will become a milestone event in the blockchain industry.