Tether Supports UAE-Based KAIO in $8 Million Funding Round to Tokenize Emirati Investments

KAIO, a tokenization firm regulated in Abu Dhabi, announced on Monday that it has secured $8 million in a strategic funding round led by Tether and other prominent crypto and institutional investors. The investment aims to support KAIO's mission to create infrastructure that enables asset managers to distribute their funds on the blockchain. The firm has created tokens for products offered by companies such as BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane, making them accessible through blockchain-based systems. With this new funding, KAIO plans to expand its product offerings to include credit, structured investments, and exchange-traded funds. Additionally, the company intends to launch an on-chain fund in collaboration with Mubadala Capital, a private equity firm based in the UAE with $385 billion in assets under management. By tokenizing institutional funds, KAIO seeks to lower the barriers to entry for investors, with minimum investment requirements starting at $100 for eligible users. Tether's involvement in the funding round highlights the potential for stablecoin flows to be channeled into regulated investment products. According to Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, KAIO's unique position enables new pathways for capital formation and investment by bringing institutional-grade assets onto the blockchain and making them more accessible, thus expanding participation in global financial markets. KAIO's platform is designed to embed compliance into its system and support regulated distribution frameworks in various jurisdictions, including Abu Dhabi, the Cayman Islands, and Singapore. To date, the company has tokenized approximately $100 million in assets and processed over $500 million in transactions.