Last week, there were a total of 38 public financing events in the cryptocurrency market | Financing Weekly Report

整理：Richard Lee
According to incomplete statistics from Chain Catcher, during the period from January 10 to January 16, 2022, there were a total of 38 public financing events in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry, with the gaming/metaverse sector accounting for the largest share of financing. Notably this week, the financing directions in sectors such as NFTs and Web3 have further diversified. For example, in the NFT sector, projects such as oracle and derivatives markets have received investment, while in the Web3 field, multiple projects like Vybe Network have entered from a data perspective, providing infrastructure for the next generation of the internet.
Additionally, the two major public chains, Oasis and Near, respectively secured large financing of $40 million and $150 million, which also became a major focus this week. In terms of investment institutions, Animoca Brands, Dragonfly Capital, and LD Capital have been quite active.

1. Gaming/Metaverse

1. Virtual World TooRichCity announces strategic investment from metaverse investor Li Rongbin
On January 10, the virtual world TooRichCity officially announced that it has received a personal strategic investment from metaverse investor Li Rongbin. Li Rongbin is the founding partner of SevenX Ventures and an NFT collector, having led investments in NFT projects such as Whaleshark, Rangers, Smart Token Lab, and YGG. Through this strategic investment, TooRichCity will continue to create a Chinese futurist plastic punk world for its citizens, including villas, skyscrapers, airships, amusement parks, and more. Furthermore, TooRichCity Studio will soon launch the first avatar identity system in the metaverse based on Chinese-style interpersonal relationship networks, with the design team steadily advancing production. While building in the metaverse, TooRichCity will explore the possibilities of NFT gaming and aims to become an important contributor to the Web 3.0 world. (Source link)
2. Blockchain game Tank Wars Zone announces completion of $2.37 million seed and private placement financing, with participation from DFG and others
On January 11, the blockchain game Tank Wars Zone announced the completion of $2.37 million in seed and private placement financing, with participation from Fantom Foundation, DFG, JSquare, Newave Capital, HyperChain Capital, Prometeus Labs, ZBS Capital, LD Capital, and others.
Tank Wars Zone will launch WBOND and TGOLD tokens. WBOND is a governance token with a total supply of 1,000,000,000, used for voting, staking, and trading NFTs. TGOLD is the in-game currency used for NFT transactions, repairs, and tank upgrades. (Source link)
3. GameFi NFT marketplace Lootex completes $9 million financing, led by Spartan Capital and others
On January 11, the Taiwan-based GameFi NFT marketplace Lootex completed $9 million in financing, led by Spartan Capital, Infinity Ventures Crypto, LD Capital, and Akatsuki, with other participants including Polygon Studios, Morningstar Ventures, and SweeperDAO.
Lootex's marketplace allows players to purchase avatars, items, and virtual land for NFT games and has partnered with over 50 blockchain-based games, including RPS League, Block Monster, Dungeon Swap, and Olympus Royale. (Source link)
4. Algorand-based GameFi platform Zone completes $2.35 million financing, with participation from GSR and others
On January 12, the Algorand-based GameFi ecosystem Zone completed $2.35 million in financing, with participation from DAO Maker, GSR, Altonomy, Enjinstarter, SuperLauncher DAO, MH Ventures, ZBS Capital, Tag Ventures, and K300 Ventures.
To date, Zone's total financing has reached $4.35 million. Zone will conduct its IDO on January 15. Zone has hired Sebastien Borget, co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, and John Linden, CEO of Mythical Games, as advisors. (Source link)
5. Blockchain game Kingdom Karnage completes $2 million financing, with participation from DFG and others
On January 12, the established blockchain game Kingdom Karnage recently completed $2 million in financing, with participation from Animoca Brands, DFG, and Enjin.
Kingdom Karnage (KK) is a cross-platform virtual collectible card game, and the project will issue the KKT Token, which will enhance the play-to-earn economic model and increase Scholarships. (Source link)
6. 7-on-7 football league Fan Controlled Football completes $40 million financing, led by Animoca Brands and Delphi Digital
On January 12, the 7-on-7 football league Fan Controlled Football (FCF) completed $40 million in Series A financing, led by Animoca Brands and Delphi Digital.
The next season of FCF will double in scale, with owners of four new teams connected to the cryptocurrency community, including musician and producer Steve Aoki and leaders of two cryptocurrency groups known as Bored Ape Yacht Club and Gutter Cat Gang.
FCF will launch 8,888 NFTs related to these four new franchises later this month. Buyers of the NFTs will become fans of the teams and have the opportunity to draft players, choose games, and receive other benefits. (Source link)
7. Metaverse data analysis platform MetaCat completes seed round financing, with participation from HashKey and others
On January 13, the metaverse data analysis platform MetaCat completed seed round financing, with participation from HashKey, Zonff Partners, Digital Humanism, Metaverse Limited, and Null Capital.
MetaCat focuses on metaverse data analysis, content navigation, land leasing, and other services. The official website was launched in December 2021, introducing features such as metaverse content navigation and data analysis. Additionally, MetaCat began offering data services such as metaverse new land reports and monthly reports in Q3 2021. (Source link)
8. L2E platform Proof of Learn completes $15 million financing, with participation from Animoca Brands and others
On January 13, the Learn to Earn platform Proof of Learn (POL) announced the completion of $15 million in financing, led by New Enterprise Associates, with participation from Animoca Brands, GoldenTree Asset Management, gumi Cryptos Capital, and Infinity Ventures Crypto. The funds will be used for project promotion. (Source link)
9. Binance Labs announces strategic investment in role-playing blockchain game Nine Chronicles
On January 14, Binance Labs announced a strategic investment in the role-playing blockchain game Nine Chronicles, supporting the project in expanding its team and product suite. As part of the strategic investment, Nine Chronicles will closely collaborate with the Binance ecosystem to build an asset bridge to the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and provide exclusive in-game NFT skins for the Binance NFT marketplace.
Nine Chronicles is an open-source, decentralized online role-playing game where all game operations run on a blockchain network supported by players. Since its launch in October 2020, its gasless network has minted 2 million NFT items and has distributed over $10 million in NCG tokens to players through its play-to-earn economy. (Source link)
10. A&T Capital announces strategic investment in P2E game KlayCity
On January 14, A&T Capital announced a strategic investment in KlayCity, providing support for the project's strategy and development. KlayCity is a decentralized P2E game set in a future Earth long plagued by pollution. Built on the Klaytn network, users can acquire NFTs that simulate real urban areas and participate in various activities in the game, including "purification," "exploration," and "upgrading," through an engaging and intuitive visual interface. KlayCity plans to launch in Q1 2022. (Source link)
11. Blockchain game I WORLD GAME completes $6.8 million seed financing, led by WeMade Tree and Sun Hung Kai
On January 16, the P2E blockchain game I WORLD GAME announced in a blog that it has completed $6.8 million in seed financing, led by WeMade Tree and Sun Hung Kai, with participation from Animoca Brands, Polygon, x21 Digital, and other angel investors.
The funds raised will primarily be used for marketing, new product development, and product upgrades, further advancing the development of the game and Web3 application suite. (Source link)
12. "Metaverse Collection Museum" announces tens of millions in angel round financing
On January 16, Youlv Blockchain Technology (Ningbo) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Metaverse Collection Museum) announced that it has received tens of millions in angel round financing, exclusively invested by Fujian Weipeng Industrial Co., Ltd. The Metaverse Collection Museum collaborates with well-known state-owned enterprises to design physical architectural complexes, including museums, digital VR experience centers, smart hotels, amusement parks, and other facilities, creating a cultural digital entity industry for the Metaverse Collection Museum through online and offline interaction. The collection museum was born in the second half of 2020 when the concept of the metaverse became popular, aiming to become an immersive social platform for digital collections, integrating issuance, display, revenue, and sharing into a new open platform.
It is reported that on January 21, the city series NFT Beijing Station, issued by the Metaverse Collection Museum, will be launched, and the platform will also reward the first batch of users through limited airdrop activities. Landmark ancient buildings in Beijing, such as the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Great Wall, will be presented in the form of digital artworks showcasing their unique artistic beauty.

2. NFT

1. NFT oracle and lending project Banksea Finance announces completion of multi-million dollar strategic financing
On January 10, the AI-driven NFT Oracle and NFT Pool-based Lending project Banksea Finance announced the completion of multi-million dollar strategic financing. This round of financing was participated in by dozens of investment institutions, including Petrock Capital, Parrot, MEXC Global, Springwind Ventures, RioDefi, Solar Eco Fund, Digital Renaissance, Zonff Partners, Definitive Finance, Digital Assets, Investment Solutions AG, GTA Venture, INV Ventures, CatcherVC, Palar Capital, and XT LABS.
Banksea Finance is an AI oracle providing quotes for NFTs and a platform for NFT collateralized lending, dedicated to providing real-time objective quotes for NFTs, enhancing NFT liquidity, and fully unlocking the financial value of NFTs. The Banksea NFT AI Oracle will be launched on the Solana testnet by the end of January 2022, supporting real-time quotes for NFTs in the Solana ecosystem, with plans to support more ecosystems in the future. Additionally, Banksea will release a limited edition genesis NFT, CitizenOne, to the community on January 15, and will publicly sell it on January 20. (Source link)
2. NFT aggregator Flip raises $6.5 million in seed round financing, led by Distributed Global and Chapter One
On January 11, NFT aggregator Flip raised $6.5 million in seed round financing, led by Distributed Global and Chapter One, with participation from CMS Holdings, NFT artist PplPleasr (also known as Emily Yang), Keyboard Monkey, DeeZe, and The Block's research vice president Larry Cermak. This financing will help Flip expand its existing team and launch the platform.
Flip will list NFT collections, floor prices, trading volumes, and other data and information across markets, allowing users to view and track their NFT portfolios in one place and bundle their multiple NFT wallets to track personal portfolios. The platform is expected to be open to the public by the end of this month or early February. (Source link)
3. Blockchain comic platform TooNFT completes $1.75 million financing, with participation from HG Ventures and others
On January 11, the blockchain-based web comic platform TooNFT completed $1.75 million in financing, with participation from HG Ventures, GBIC, Alphabit, Adaptive Labs, Mindfulness Capital, and Prestige Fund. TooNFT is launched based on the Korean web comic platform Toomics. Since its launch in 2015, Toomics has accumulated 50 million net users (7 million MAU) and has raised over $15 million from traditional venture capital firms.
TooNFT aims to bring millions of web comic enthusiasts into the decentralized network, allowing retail investors to participate in the investment activities of web comic production through the TooNFT platform. The TooNFT project will also introduce staking, governance, P2P investment opportunities, and more for users.
A spokesperson for TooNFT stated that TooNFT will become the first reliable, decentralized, and censorship-resistant fundraising solution in the web comic industry. Since its initial release, TooNFT content will be available in 11 language versions, including English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin.
4. NFT derivatives company Bliv.Club announces completion of seed round financing, with participation from Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal and others
On January 11, according to the Economic Times of India, NFT derivatives company Bliv.Club announced the completion of seed round financing, with participation from Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal and others.
Bliv.Club aims to reduce the barriers to entry into the NFT industry through various new-age tools and promote liquidity in the NFT ecosystem through derivatives. Bliv will provide a derivatives market that allows ordinary people to participate in the NFT market on a small scale.
5. NFT Launchpad and marketplace Starly.io receives investment from Bigcoin Capital
On January 12, NFT Launchpad and marketplace Starly.io announced that it has received investment from Bigcoin Capital. Bigcoin Capital is a venture capital fund from Vietnam that supports portfolio companies in developing their ecosystems in the Vietnamese market. Investment projects include TomoChain, Syntropy, Perlin, Blocto, and recently Starly.io. Previously, Starly.io announced the completion of $6.125 million in pre-IDO round financing, led by Spartan Group. (Original link)
6. NFT project MetaDojo completes seed round financing, led by DFG
On January 14, NFT project MetaDojo announced the completion of seed round financing, led by DFG. The specific financing amount has not been disclosed. (Original link)

3. DeFi

1. Solana's largest options protocol Friktion Labs completes $5.5 million financing
On January 13, Friktion Labs, the development team behind Solana's largest options protocol Friktion, announced the completion of $5.5 million in financing, with investors including Jump Capital, DeFiance Capital, Pillar, Libertus Capital, Delphi Ventures, Sino Global Capital, Tribe Capital, Castle Island Ventures, Dialetic, Petrock Capital, and Solana Capital. The company also plans to invite a group of derivatives traders and market makers from companies like Genesis Trading, Alameda Research, LedgerPrime, QCP Capital, and CMS Holdings to join.
Friktion is the largest options protocol on Solana and the third largest options protocol in the entire network, currently locking in total value exceeding $100 million, focusing on providing portfolio management and structured products, as well as building an on-chain full-stack portfolio and risk management platform for individuals, institutional managers, and DAOs. According to Friktion in a statement, they plan to use this latest financing to build Circuits, a novel liquidity and portfolio management system that can drive long-term capital inflows and generate returns for DAOs.
2. DeFi API startup Conduit completes $17 million financing, led by Portage Ventures
On January 14, DeFi API startup Conduit announced the completion of $17 million in financing, led by Portage Ventures, with participation from FinVC, Gemini Frontier Fund, and angel investors including former a16z partner Rex Salisbury.
Conduit has created API software tools that enable fintech, neobanks, and traditional financial institutions to easily integrate high-yield DeFi products into their existing offerings. (Source link)
3. Decentralized asset custody protocol Entropy completes $1.95 million financing, led by Dragonfly Capital
On January 14, decentralized asset custody protocol Entropy announced the completion of $1.95 million in pre-seed financing, led by Dragonfly Capital, with participation from The LAO and P2P Capital, and angel investors including Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngelList. Entropy is a decentralized asset custody protocol designed to provide a community-owned and governed decentralized network using advanced threshold cryptography and secure multi-party computation (MPC), enabling users to securely store and use their cryptocurrencies on any blockchain. (Source link)
4. Terra ecosystem lending protocol Edge Protocol completes $1.75 million seed round financing, led by Hashed
On January 16, Terra ecosystem's customized lending protocol Edge Protocol announced the completion of $1.75 million in seed round financing, led by Hashed, with participation from Alliance, Qi Capital, Folius Ventures (MapleLeafCap), and angel investors including Do Kwon (Terraform Labs), Jason Choi (Spartan Capital), Santiago R. Santos, Darryl Wang (0xWangarian), Ashwin Ramachandran (Dragonfly Capital), and Matt Cantieri (Anchor Protocol).
The funds raised will be used to build the next generation of money markets, specifically money market as a service within the Terra ecosystem. Edge Protocol aims to bring financial inclusivity to all users. (Source link)

4. On-chain Infrastructure

1. Privacy computing network Oasis receives $40 million support from Binance Labs for ecosystem development and project incubation
On January 11, the privacy computing network Oasis received $40 million support from Binance Labs to support the development of projects in the Oasis ecosystem, including DeFi, data DAOs, NFTs, and the metaverse, further promoting the prosperity of the Oasis ecosystem. Previously, with the support of deep ecosystem partners such as AME Cloud Ventures, Dragonfly Capital Partners, FBG, and Pantera Capital, Oasis established a $160 million ecosystem development fund, which has now reached a total of $200 million after Binance Labs joined.
Since its launch, Oasis has not only launched the EVM-compatible ParaTime smart contract execution environment Emerald, but also its first Dex YuzuSwap, which will officially launch this week. (Source link)
2. Decentralized insurance protocol Neptune Mutual completes $3 million financing, led by Animoca Brands
On January 12, decentralized insurance protocol Neptune Mutual announced the completion of $3 million in strategic round financing, led by Animoca Brands, with participation from Pacific Century Group, Genesis Block Ventures, Fundamental Labs, GSR, and Cambium Grove Capital.
Neptune Mutual is a decentralized insurance protocol aimed at providing P2P risk management insurance products for centralized virtual asset service providers, decentralized finance protocols, and the metaverse, centered around a parametric insurance model. The project previously announced the completion of $1.75 million in seed round financing on November 29, led by Fenbushi Capital, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Huobi Ventures, OKEx Blockdream Ventures, and others. (Source link)
3. Cardano's first cross-chain protocol CBTC Bridge announces completion of first round financing
On January 13, Cardano's first cross-chain bridge project CBTC Bridge announced the completion of its first round of financing, with participation from ArkStream Capital, DCI, Shima Capital, and Lancer Capital, with a market valuation of $12 million. The funds will be used to expand the development team.
Currently, CBTC Bridge has completed its first round of testing and is in the second round of iterative testing, during which code auditing will also be conducted. The online version will initially support cross-chain transfers of BTC, ETH, USDT, and USDC to Cardano. As the first cross-chain bridge project in the Cardano ecosystem, CBTC Bridge aims to bring mainstream crypto assets into the Cardano ecosystem and ultimately expand to multi-chain and multi-layer capabilities, achieving both centralized and fully decentralized cross-chain service capabilities. (Source link)
4. NEAR completes $150 million financing, led by Three Arrows Capital
On January 13, NEAR Protocol recently completed its latest round of financing of $150 million, which will be used to help billions of users learn about and understand blockchain and decentralized technologies, accelerating the implementation of its mission. This round of financing was led by Three Arrows Capital, with participation from several crypto-native funds, including Mechanism Capital, Dragonfly Capital, a16z, Jump, Alameda, Zee Prime, Folius, Amber Group, 6th Man Ventures, Circle Ventures, and MetaWeb.vc (NEAR ecosystem fund).
Additionally, several top angel investors participated in this round of financing, including hedge fund giant Alan Howard, former ParaFi Capital partner Santiago Santos, and Aave founder Stani Kulechov. (Source link)
5. Cross-chain bridge Allbridge announces completion of $2 million financing, led by Race Capital
On January 14, cross-chain bridge project Allbridge announced the completion of $2 million in financing, led by Race Capital.
Allbridge acts as a bridge for transferring assets between Ethereum and non-EVM compatible blockchains, supporting chains including Solana, Avalanche, Fantom, Celo, Polygon, Ethereum, BSC, and Terra, with a current TVL exceeding $470 million. (Source link)

5. Web3 and DAO

1. Decentralized dead man's switch application Sarcophagus raises $5.47 million through DAO token sale, with participation from LD Capital and others
On January 10, decentralized dead man's switch application Sarcophagus raised $5.47 million by selling DAO tokens to VCs, with participation from Greenfield One, LD Capital, Placeholder, Inflection, Lattice, Infinite, Hinge Capital, Blockchange, Coral DeFi Investments, Blockchain.com Ventures, Lo Enterprises, Compound VC, and Arweave.
Sarcophagus stated in its announcement, "Investors are required to work directly with the DAO and vote on their respective investor agreements and token release schedules. The best part is that all of this is recorded on-chain and can be publicly accessed forever."
Sarcophagus is a decentralized dead man's switch application built on Ethereum and Arweave, allowing users to upload files and designate private key recipients. Sarcophagus previously completed $1.8 million and $3.67 million in financing in November and December of last year, respectively. (Source link)
2. Data platform Itheum, incubated by Elrond Dubai, completes $1.5 million financing, with participation from Morningstar
On January 11, the decentralized multi-chain data brokerage platform Itheum announced that it has received $1.5 million in investment from Morningstar Ventures. Itheum was launched by Morningstar Ventures in October 2021 and is a pioneering project of the Elrond Dubai incubator. This investment aims to bring more projects and developers to the Elrond ecosystem.
Itheum aims to transform personal data into tradable assets, empowering users by helping them regain control over their data in the Web3 and metaverse era. (Source link)
3. Data infrastructure solution Vybe Network completes $2.5 million financing, led by Alameda Research and others
On January 12, data infrastructure solution Vybe Network announced the completion of $2.5 million in seed round financing, led by Lemniscap, Alameda Research, and Sino Global Capital, with participation from Inscribed, SVC, Zokyo, Switchboard, and angel investors including Chris McCann (seed round investor in Solana and FTX).
Vybe Network is a data infrastructure solution that enables the Solana community to query, index, and exchange on-chain data, helping developers build Web 3.0 dApps and conduct data analysis. (Source link)
4. Blockchain research project GCR DAO announces completion of $1.2 million financing, with participation from IDEO CoLab Ventures and others
On January 13, blockchain research project GCR DAO completed $1.2 million in financing, with participation from IDEO CoLab Ventures, 1kx, Valhalla Capital, HanDAO, and GBIC, along with other investors including Axie Infinity co-founder Jeff Zirlin, YGG co-founders Gabby Dizon and Beryl Li, Polygon CEO Jaynti Kanani, Flamingo DAO's Adam Kornfield, Coinvise CEO Jenil Thakker, CoinGecko co-founder Bobby Ong, and Showtime CEO Alex Mesmaj.
GCR DAO was established in 2017, focusing on research in Web3 and investing in DAOs, with over 31,000 subscribers. GCR DAO plans to establish sub-DAOs with other investment partners, focusing on research and investment in vertical fields such as DeFi and NFTs. Additionally, GCR DAO plans to develop a grant program to further expand its development globally. (Source link)
5. DeFi governance platform Bribe completes $4 million financing, led by Spartan Group
On January 13, DeFi governance platform Bribe completed $4 million in seed round financing, led by Spartan Group, with participation from Dragonfly, Hypersphere, Fundamental Labs, IOSG, Fenbushi Capital, Rarestone Capital, GravityX, Shima Capital, and Figment.
The Bribe protocol aims to change decentralized governance through incentive-based participation, allowing depositors to earn income by depositing their governance tokens into the Bribe pool, while bidders borrow voting rights to support or reject governance proposals. Bribe will first integrate with Aave in January 2022, and due to the unique nature of the Aave DAO, Aave's Bribe pool will adopt the form of Ethereum staking contracts, which are currently being audited by Trai lof Bits and Stela Labs. Bribe will then expand to the market maker protocol Tokemak and launch the Tokemak Bribe pool. (CoinDesk)

6. Others

1. Asset management company Valdy Investments acquires crypto trading platform INX and rebrands as INX Digital
On January 11, according to CoinDesk, Canadian asset management company Valdy Investments announced the completion of its acquisition of the crypto trading platform INX, which has officially been rebranded as INX Digital. Valdy acquired all of INX's outstanding shares, completing INX's previous private placement of CAD 39.6 million. Last May, INX raised $85 million. (Source link)
2. Crypto infrastructure company Web3 Auth raises $13 million in Series A financing, led by Sequoia India
On January 12, crypto infrastructure company Web3Auth (formerly known as Torus) raised $13 million in Series A financing. The financing was led by Sequoia Capital India, with participation from Union Square Ventures, Multicoin Capital, FTX, Bitcoin.com, DARMA Capital, Chainstry, Hashed, KOSMOS Capital, Kyros Ventures, LD Capital, Minted Labs, P2P Capital, Phoenix VC, Staking Facilities, YBB Capital, Moonwhale Ventures, and Decentralab, with funds to simplify crypto onboarding and authentication.
Web3Auth promotes the mass adoption of Web3 through simple, secure, and non-custodial application and wallet authentication infrastructure, currently protecting over 1 million users and 8 million keys monthly across wallets and applications such as Binance Extension Wallet, Ubisoft, Kukai, and Skyweaver. (Source link)
3. Indonesian financial app Pluang raises $55 million in financing, led by Accel
On January 12, Indonesian financial app Pluang raised $55 million in financing led by Accel, with participation from Monzo COO Sujata Bhatia, Axie Infinity founders Aleksander Leonard Larsen and Jeffrey Zirlin, among others. The funds will be used to deepen its layout in the crypto market and add features such as wallet, staking, and NFT support to its portfolio.
Pluang was founded by Claudia Kolonas and Richard Chua, initially offering gold as a trading asset, later expanding to indices, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies. Claudia Kolonas stated that when Pluang launched digital asset trading, it simply aimed to get users involved in cryptocurrencies, which currently has nearly 10 million users in Indonesia, surpassing the stock market. (Source link)
4. Swiss digital bank SEBA raises $120 million in Series C financing, with participation from Alameda Research
On January 12, Swiss digital bank SEBA raised 110 million Swiss francs (approximately $120 million) in Series C financing, led by a consortium of three investment firms including Altive, Ordway Selections, and Summer Capital, with participation from Alameda Research and existing investors such as Swiss private bank Julius Baer. The funds will be used for SEBA's international expansion, increasing staff, and launching new products and services.
SEBA, founded by former UBS employees, is a crypto bank focused on institutions, providing services such as custody, trading, lending, and investment management. Its CEO Guido Buehler stated that the bank is also exploring the NFT market, such as lending and custody services, as well as the DeFi market to provide access to permissioned pools. (Source link)
5. Digital payment company Checkout.com raises $1 billion in equity financing at a $40 billion valuation, plans to expand crypto business
On January 12, according to The Wall Street Journal, London-based digital payment company Checkout.com raised $1 billion in a recent equity sale, with new investors including Franklin Templeton and Qatar Investment Authority participating alongside existing investors such as Insight Partners and Tiger Global Management. According to insiders, the company is currently valued at $40 billion.
Checkout.com also revealed plans to expand its business to cater to cryptocurrency companies. It is reported that exchanges like Coinbase and wallets like Meta's Novi use Checkout.com to transfer customers' funds in and out of digital currencies. Its CFO stated that crypto and fintech transactions account for more than half of Checkout.com's payment volume. (Source link)
6. Digital asset-as-a-service infrastructure Zero Hash completes $105 million in Series D financing
On January 12, digital asset-as-a-service infrastructure Zero Hash announced the completion of $105 million in Series D financing, with participation from Bain Capital, NYCA, and Steve Cohen's Point72 Ventures.
Zero Hash provides B2B digital asset-as-a-service infrastructure, offering turnkey solutions that allow any platform to buy/sell, send/receive, reward, earn, and stake digital assets, enabling any business to quickly and easily embed crypto and NFT natively into their own customer experience. Its clients include tech banks like MoneyLion and Wirex, as well as payment processors like Moonpay, Ramp, Transak, and retail brokers like Tastyworks, TradeZero, and TradeStation. (Source link)
7. Blockchain infrastructure platform ChromaWay completes $10 million financing, led by True Global Ventures
On January 13, blockchain infrastructure platform ChromaWay announced the completion of $10 million in financing, led by True Global Ventures 4 Plus (TGV4 Plus) Fund, with other specific financing information not yet disclosed.
ChromaWay is a blockchain infrastructure platform that can develop user-friendly decentralized applications for almost any industry, including DeFi, gaming, music, and more. (Source link)
8. Web3 startup accelerator DeFi Alliance completes $50 million financing, with participation from Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin and others
On January 13, Web3 startup accelerator DeFi Alliance announced the establishment of a decentralized autonomous organization Alliance DAO and completed $50 million in financing, with participation from Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Gemini co-founders and president/CEO Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Terra founder Do Kwon, OpenSea co-founder and CEO Devin Finzer, Aave founder Stani Kulechov, Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire, and BlockFi founder Zac Prince.
To date, DeFi Alliance has helped over 90 crypto startups and DeFi projects, including 0x, Alpha Finance, dYdX, Kyber, Olympus DAO, Paraswap, Ribbon Finance, Sushiswap, Synthetix, and Zerion. (Source link)
9. Roundhill announces strategic investment in investment tracking platform AssetDash
On January 14, registered investment advisory firm Roundhill Investments announced a strategic investment in investment tracking platform AssetDash. Currently, AssetDash supports over 100 platforms, including major brokerage firms, cryptocurrency trading platforms, cryptocurrency wallets, and blockchain. AssetDash was co-founded by Matias Dorta and Jorge Perez, with the former serving as Roundhill's VP of Marketing and the latter as VP of Engineering at Cylera. (Source link)
10. Crypto asset software company Lukka completes $110 million financing at a valuation of over $1.3 billion, led by Marshall Wace
On January 14, crypto asset software company Lukka announced the completion of $110 million in Series E financing at a valuation of over $1.3 billion, led by hedge fund Marshall Wace, with participation from Miami International Holdings, Summer Capital, SiriusPoint Ltd., Soros Fund Management, Liberty City Ventures, S&P Global, and CPA.com.
To date, Lukka's total financing has reached $210 million. Lukka's software compiles data from over 14,000 crypto spot assets, 70,000 crypto derivatives, 300 exchanges, and about 30 decentralized exchanges. Lukka serves traditional financial companies and cryptocurrency companies, including Arca, Circle, CPA.com, eToro, IHS Markit, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and State Street. (Source link)
11. Supply chain finance company Zhongqi Anchain raises tens of millions in financing, led by Qulian Technology
On January 16, supply chain finance company Zhongqi Anchain, incubated by ZhongAn Online, raised tens of millions in financing, led by Qulian Technology, with participation from Kelly Yifang and existing shareholders Ivy Capital and Distributed Capital, with Yiren Capital serving as the exclusive financial advisor.
Zhongqi Anchain plans to focus on using blockchain technology to help core enterprises solve risk identification and data security issues, while assisting financial institutions or banks in designing and implementing corresponding financial products to serve the entire supply chain, having served over dozens of core enterprises, with benchmark clients including Longping High-Tech, Hainan International Energy Trading Center, Shanghai Bank, and Meiyijia. (Source link)