KAIO Secures $8M in Funding from Tether to Revolutionize Emirati Fund Tokenization

KAIO, a tokenization firm regulated in Abu Dhabi, has announced the successful completion of an $8 million strategic funding round, led by Tether and supported by various crypto and institutional investors. This investment brings KAIO's total funding to $19 million, with new investors such as Systemic Ventures joining the round, alongside returning investors like Further Ventures, Laser Digital, and Brevan Howard Digital. KAIO is focused on creating infrastructure that enables asset managers to distribute their funds on blockchain networks. The company has already tokenized products from prominent firms, including BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane, making them accessible through blockchain-based systems. With this new funding, KAIO plans to expand its offerings to include credit, structured investments, and exchange-traded funds, with a forthcoming on-chain fund launch in partnership with Mubadala Capital, an Emirati private equity firm managing $385 billion in assets. By tokenizing institutional funds, KAIO aims to significantly lower the barriers to entry for investors, with minimum investments starting at $100 for eligible users, substantially below typical institutional fund thresholds. Tether's involvement in this funding round leverages the potential of stablecoin flows, with USDT being the most widely used stablecoin, boasting a $185 billion supply, often utilized for cross-border transactions, especially in emerging markets. KAIO seeks to channel this liquidity into regulated investment products. According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, 'KAIO's unique approach unlocks new pathways for capital formation and investment by bringing institutional-grade assets on-chain and making them more broadly accessible, thus expanding participation in global financial markets.' KAIO's platform incorporates compliance and supports 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 processed over $500 million in transactions.