KAIO Secures $8M in Funding from Tether to Expand Blockchain-Based Investment Infrastructure

In a strategic funding round, KAIO has raised $8 million with the support of Tether and other prominent crypto and institutional investors, bringing its total funding to $19 million. The round saw participation from new investors such as Systemic Ventures, as well as repeat investments from Further Ventures, Laser Digital, and earlier backers including Brevan Howard Digital. KAIO specializes in creating infrastructure that enables asset managers to offer their funds on blockchain rails, having already tokenized products from notable firms like BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane. The company plans to utilize the investment to expand its offerings into credit, structured investments, and exchange-traded funds, with a planned onchain fund launch in collaboration with Mubadala Capital, an Emirati private equity firm managing $385 billion in assets. By tokenizing institutional funds, KAIO seeks to lower the barriers to entry for investors, with minimum investment requirements starting at $100 for eligible users, significantly lower than traditional thresholds. The involvement of Tether, the issuer of the widely-used stablecoin USDT, is expected to facilitate the flow of stablecoin liquidity into regulated investment products. "KAIO's innovative approach opens up new avenues for capital formation and investment by making institutional-grade assets more accessible onchain, thus broadening participation in global financial markets," stated Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino. 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 processed transactions exceeding $500 million.