According to incomplete statistics from Odaily Planet Daily, from January 19 to January 25, 2025, a total of 9 financing events were disclosed globally in the blockchain sector, slightly fewer than the 11 events in the previous week. The total amount raised was $21.5 million, a slight decrease from $23.2 million in the prior week.
The largest single financing round this week was by the on-chain IPO platform Superstate, which announced an $82.5 million funding round. Second was Pomelo, a fintech company from Argentina, which announced a $55 million Series C funding round.
The following are specific financing events (Notes: 1. Listed in order of disclosed amount; 2. * indicates companies in "traditional" sectors partially involving blockchain technology):
On January 22, the on-chain IPO platform Superstate announced it had secured $82.5 million in funding, led by Bain Capital Crypto and Distributed Global, with participation from Galaxy Digital, Haun Ventures, Brevan Howard Digital, and others. The project primarily focuses on building regulated blockchain capital market infrastructure, enabling SEC-registered companies to issue digital shares directly to investors and settle transactions on public blockchains such as Ethereum and Solana. Currently, Superstate manages over $1.2 billion in assets.
Argentine fintech company Pomelo completes $55 million Series C round, led by Kaszek, among others.
On January 22, Argentina's fintech company Pomelo announced the completion of a $55 million Series C funding round. The round was led by Kaszek and Insight Partners, with participation from Index Ventures, Adams Street Partners, S32, Endeavor Catalyst, Monashees, and TQ Ventures.
Pomelo stated that the funds from this round of financing will primarily be used to scale up its credit processing operations in its two key markets, Mexico and Brazil, and to support the launch of credit card products denominated in global stablecoins.
Bitcoin payment startup ZBD completes $40 million Series C funding round, led by Blockstream Capital
On January 22, Bitcoin payment startup ZBD announced the completion of a $40 million Series C funding round, led by Blockstream Capital, which contributed $36 million. The project's main business is providing Bitcoin payment software and payment infrastructure for video games.
ZBD stated that the current round of funding will be used to launch a more comprehensive range of payment products within the next year.
On January 23, River announced the completion of a $12 million strategic funding round. Investors included Tron DAO, Justin Sun, Maelstrom Fund founded by Arthur Hayes, The Spartan Group, and several NASDAQ-listed companies from the United States and Europe. The funds from this round will be used to accelerate ecosystem deployment, deepen stablecoin liquidity, and promote the integration of satUSD in trading, lending, staking, and yield-generating scenarios. River plans to launch yield products for both retail and institutional users, including Smart Vault and Prime Vault, offering a unified interface for earning returns through protocol-native and institutional-grade strategies.
Dutch cryptocurrency platform Finst completes 8 million euro Series A round, led by Endeit Capital
On January 21, Dutch cryptocurrency platform Finst announced the completion of an 8 million euro Series A funding round, led by Endeit Capital, with participation from existing investors such as Eelko van Kooten, founder of Spinnin' Records, and Mark Franse, co-founder of DEGIRO. This round brings Finst's total funding to 15 million euros. Launched in 2023, the Finst platform has obtained a cryptocurrency asset service license from the Dutch Financial Markets Authority (AFM).
Cork Completes $5.5 Million Seed Round, Led by a16z, CSX, and Road Capital
On January 21, Cork announced the completion of a $5.5 million seed round, led by a16z, CSX, and Road Capital, with participation from BitGo Ventures, Cooley, IDEO Ventures, PEER VC, and WAGMI Ventures. Cork is a startup focused on tokenizing risks in the emerging "on-chain infrastructure" category. The company is building tools to make hidden risks in this new class of real-world assets transparent and tradable.
AKEDO Completes $5 Million Seed Round Financing, Led by Karatage
On January 19, AKEDO announced the completion of a $5 million seed round financing to accelerate the development of its AI-native content creation engine and Launchpad. The round was led by Karatage, with participation from Sfermion, Collab+Currency, MARBLEX, Seed Club, The Open Platform, TON Ventures, Gagra Ventures, Kenetic Capital, and Metalabs Ventures.
Warden Completes $4 Million Strategic Financing, with Participation from 0G, Messari, and Venice
On January 25, Warden posted on the X platform, stating that it had completed a $4 million strategic funding round at a valuation of $200 million. This fundraising did not involve a venture capital roadshow or traditional fundraising methods. All participants were developers who have already collaborated with Warden, including 0G, Messari, and Venice.
"Crypto-as-a-Service" platform CheckSig completes 3.5 million euro financing.
On January 20, Europe's "crypto-as-a-service" platform CheckSig announced the completion of a 3.5 million euro funding round at a valuation of 33.5 million euros. To date, the company has raised a total of 6.2 million euros in funding. CheckSig has obtained a MiCAR license and offers services such as crypto custody, crypto trading, and cryptocurrency tax withholding, aiming to provide secure and transparent cryptocurrency services for both individual and institutional investors.