KAIO Secures $8 Million in Funding from Tether to Bring Emirati Investments onto the Blockchain

KAIO, a firm specializing in tokenization and regulated by the Abu Dhabi authorities, has announced the successful completion of an $8 million strategic funding round, with Tether and several other prominent crypto and institutional investors participating. This investment brings KAIO's total funding to $19 million, with new investors such as Systemic Ventures joining, alongside returning investors like Further Ventures and Laser Digital, as well as earlier backers including Brevan Howard Digital. KAIO is focused on creating infrastructure that enables asset managers to distribute their funds on the blockchain. The company has tokenized products from notable firms like BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane, making them accessible through blockchain-based systems. With this new investment, KAIO plans to expand its offerings into areas such as credit, structured investments, and exchange-traded funds. The firm is also set to launch an on-chain fund in collaboration with Mubadala Capital, a private equity firm from the UAE with $385 billion in assets under management. By tokenizing institutional funds, KAIO aims to lower the barriers to entry for investors, with minimum investments starting as low as $100 for eligible users, significantly lower than the typical thresholds for institutional funds. Tether's involvement in this funding round highlights the potential for stablecoin flows to be channeled into regulated investment products, given USDT's widespread use and $185 billion supply. KAIO's platform is designed with compliance in mind, supporting regulated distribution frameworks in several jurisdictions including Abu Dhabi, the Cayman Islands, and Singapore. To date, the company has tokenized approximately $100 million in assets and has processed transactions exceeding $500 million. According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, KAIO's approach 'unlocks new pathways for capital formation and investment by bringing institutional-grade assets on-chain and making them more broadly accessible, helping expand participation in global financial markets.'