Overview of Global Blockchain Investment and Financing Last Week

Last week, ( 5.19-5.25), there were a total of 19 investment and financing events in the global Blockchain industry, with a total scale exceeding 287 million US dollars, showing an increase compared to the previous week. The main investment directions include:

• In the DeFi sector, 6 incidents occurred, among which the decentralized stablecoin funding market Hyperdrive completed a $6 million Series A financing.
• In the Web3+AI field, the Web3 project ARAI has completed a $4 million seed round financing.
• In the field of infrastructure and tools, 2 cases have occurred, among which a multi-chain Web3 infrastructure project in Japan received strategic investment.
• In the field of centralized finance, there have been 6 instances, among which a startup completed a $41 million Series B funding.
• Other application areas have emerged, including an Indian tech company completing $9 million in Series A financing.

DeFi Field

A cross-border payment infrastructure company has completed a $23 million financing round, led by a well-known venture capital firm. The company is dedicated to solving the "last mile" issue of cross-border payments through stablecoins, aiming to replace traditional financial networks. Its technology can significantly reduce foreign exchange trading spreads and achieve 90% of transactions settled within 60 minutes. The company's founder previously established a cryptocurrency brokerage valued at $8 billion. The new company will serve clients such as remittance companies and digital banks, and it currently supports 7 major currencies, with plans to expand into the Southeast Asian market within the year.

The decentralized stablecoin funding market Hyperdrive has completed a $6 million Series A financing round, led by two well-known investment institutions, with participation from several other institutions and angel investors. The project aims to create a stablecoin currency market and yield hub on the Blockchain, providing functions such as stablecoin lending and borrowing, liquid staking, and one-click yield strategies.

The Bitcoin liquid staking protocol Rover has completed a $4.1 million seed round financing, with participation from multiple institutions and well-known individuals. The project was founded by a former bank executive and aims to develop a liquid staking solution for Bitcoin's first fully decentralized sidechain. Rover is about to launch its mainnet, allowing users to earn liquidity tokens by staking Bitcoin, thereby earning yields while maintaining liquidity. The tokens can also be used for DeFi operations within the ecosystem. The project has reached collaborations with several well-known institutions and has been audited by multiple security firms.

The decentralized trading platform Tradoor announced that it has completed a $3.2 million financing round, aiming to bring centralized exchange-level trading experiences to a certain instant messaging platform. The financing was led by two investment institutions, with multiple institutions participating. Tradoor integrates various trading functions, launching a fast trading mode that supports multi-chain one-click deposits and withdrawals, as well as zero slippage trading. The platform will launch a trading reward mechanism and introduce AI-driven text trading and copy trading functionalities.

A stablecoin issuer in a certain country has completed a $1.8 million financing, with investors including several well-known institutions. The funds will be used to expand the infrastructure for the country's fiat stablecoin, including establishing on-chain foreign exchange liquidity and payment channel integration. The company is also carrying out structural reforms for the stablecoin, including setting up an independent trust to manage reserve assets, implementing daily market value reports, monthly reserve proofs, and annual audits.

A certain DeFi project announced that it has received strategic investment from a fund established by a well-known investor.

Web3 Games

Web3 game developer Voya Games has completed a $5 million financing round, led by two investment firms, with participation from multiple institutions and notable individuals. The funds will be used to support the development of the casual Web3 game Craft World. This game is a casual resource management game where players will collaborate with dinosaurs to rebuild civilization. The game is currently in the testnet phase.

AI Field

The Web3 project ARAI has completed a $4 million seed round of financing, with investors including several well-known institutions. ARAI is building a new interactive ecosystem driven by AI agents, reshaping the way games are played and how participants engage in on-chain finance. Its core product offers modular intelligent agents with real-time perception, strategic decision-making, and cross-scenario adaptability. The first strategy game has been launched to validate the capabilities of intelligent agents, and cross-chain settlement infrastructure has been deployed. In the future, it will leverage a global traffic network to promote the large-scale application of AI agents in Web3 scenarios.

Infrastructure and Tools

A multi-chain Web3 infrastructure project in Japan has announced a strategic investment from a well-known institution, with the specific amount undisclosed. Both parties will focus on promoting the on-chain integration of Japanese and Asian entertainment IPs and collaboratively developing a scalable blockchain entertainment ecosystem aimed at consumers. The first project of this cooperation is an identity system based on a certain network, which will be deployed on a subnet to achieve a seamless migration of Web2 users to Web3. Another key project will expand the coverage of on-chain entertainment IPs. The project’s native token will serve as a unified circulation and incentive tool within the ecosystem. Both parties are discussing the establishment of a special fund focused on IP and entertainment, which has already garnered interest from institutional investors.

A certain public chain project has received investments from several leading institutions in Japan and global capital, with the specific financing amount undisclosed. Recently, a subsidiary of the country's largest telecommunications company and a listed company exchange have officially become project node operators, while also reaching strategic cooperation agreements with multiple institutions. The project is in discussions with several traditional industry giants to accelerate the on-chain implementation of physical assets. In addition, the project is preparing for the release of NFTs and the mainnet, with the NFT expected to be launched next week.

Centralized Finance

A banking startup focused on vertical sectors has completed a $41 million Series B financing, with a post-investment valuation of $370 million. This financing comes two years after the company's previous round of funding. The new funds will be used to expand into new areas such as e-commerce, online travel, and property management. The company initially focused on providing banking services for specific merchants, but later transformed into offering customized financial services across multiple verticals, currently achieving a monthly transaction volume of $300 million. By collaborating with licensed banks, it provides unique services such as fiat and cryptocurrency exchange for crypto enterprises.

A co-founder of a major payment giant's newly established company has completed a $18 million seed round of financing, aiming to build an "AI-native bank." This round was led by a well-known investment institution, with several other institutions and prominent individuals participating. The founder predicts that future financial transactions will be fully executed by AI agents. The company has developed an open-source protocol to standardize AI payments and digital identity verification processes. The company has clearly stated that it will not issue cryptocurrencies or stablecoins for the time being, but investors will receive equity with accompanying token warrants. The team currently consists of only 9 people, and its technology will integrate but not rely on stablecoin solutions.

The Bitcoin project Roxom Global has completed a $17.9 million financing round for the construction of a Bitcoin-denominated securities trading platform and a 24/7 media network. This round was led by several institutions, with part of the funds used for exchange development and part for media operations. The project holds a large amount of Bitcoin and plans to increase its holdings soon. Its media operations have already launched on multiple platforms and a new operations center will be established in Hong Kong. The exchange will offer a variety of financial products, primarily targeting Latin America, Europe, and some Asian markets. The project emulates the model of a certain listed company, converting all reserve funds into Bitcoin.

A certain cryptocurrency trading platform has completed a $11 million Series A financing round, led by two well-known institutions, with several existing investors participating. The company was co-founded by former employees of a well-known exchange and will launch an on-chain trading application for retail investors this week. The platform uses a non-custodial model and currently supports spot trading of mainstream cryptocurrencies. The new application will initially support trading of specific ecosystem tokens, with plans for gradual expansion. The platform reviews and lists new tokens weekly while also marking risk warnings. The company aims to attract users by optimizing transaction speed, costs, and interface design, with plans to achieve a competitive advantage by late summer.

The African digital lending platform Carrot has completed a $4.2 million seed round of financing, led by an investment institution, with multiple institutions participating. The funds will be used for team expansion, business development, and the development of an AI risk control system. The platform allows users to obtain credit by using digital financial assets as collateral, and has currently issued over $2 million in loans, serving more than 10,000 users. The founder stated that the model of non-liquidation collateral aims to address the shortcomings of traditional credit infrastructure in Africa.

A cryptocurrency asset management company in a certain country has completed a seed round financing of 2 million euros, with participation from well-known institutions. The new funds will be used to prepare for the implementation of regulatory guidelines and to seek a regulatory license. The company expects to launch its Series A financing by the end of the year and expand its Bitcoin custody and asset management platform.

Other Applications

Indian tech startup Data Sutram has completed a $9 million Series A funding round, co-led by two well-known institutions. The funds will help the company expand into new markets beyond banking, including cryptocurrency, gaming, and e-commerce, while also accelerating AI product development and international expansion. The company's platform uses AI and a large number of external data sources to help financial institutions detect synthetic identities, map collusion networks, and prevent the creation of illegal accounts.

A health technology company in a certain country has completed a $2.2 million financing round led by well-known individuals, and the raised funds will be used to purchase Bitcoin. The funds are injected through 0% interest convertible bonds, aimed at executing a Bitcoin reserve strategy. The company can increase its holdings by about 20 Bitcoins, and combined with previous holdings, the total is expected to reach approximately 24.5 Bitcoins. The convertible bonds will mature in 2028 and can be converted into company shares at an agreed price during that period.

Other Financing Dynamics

A subsidiary of a certain foundation raised $135 million by selling tokens at market price to early supporters to support network expansion. This non-discounted direct purchase increased the circulation of tokens. Currently, the network has over 26 million users, with 12.5 million having completed identity verification.

A quantitative investment firm founded by a fintech giant's founder has completed the first round of fundraising for $250 million, with investors including billionaires and large institutions. The fund utilizes AI-driven investment decisions, focusing on high-growth areas, and has invested in several startups. The firm also released a recruitment framework to outline its talent strategy during this rapid expansion phase.

A certain asset management institution has completed a financing of $175 million for its cryptocurrency fund, focusing on investments in early-stage cryptocurrency venture capital firms. This institution has been focused on digital assets since 2018 and currently manages assets of approximately $1.2 billion. The fund aims to provide differentiated returns to institutional investors through the professional advantages of "crypto-native" venture capital.