Tether Invests in KAIO's $8M Funding Round to Bring UAE Funds onto the Blockchain

KAIO, a regulated tokenization firm 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. This investment brings KAIO's total funding to $19 million, with new investors including Systemic Ventures, and repeat investors such as Further Ventures, Laser Digital, and Brevan Howard Digital. KAIO is focused on creating infrastructure that enables asset managers to distribute their funds on the blockchain. The firm has already tokenized products from leading companies like BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane, making them accessible through blockchain-based systems. With this new investment, KAIO plans to expand its offerings to include credit, structured investments, and exchange-traded funds. The company is also set to launch an on-chain fund in partnership with Mubadala Capital, a private equity firm 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 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. As the most widely used stablecoin with a $185 billion supply, USDT is often used for cross-border transactions, particularly in emerging markets. KAIO's goal is to direct this liquidity into regulated investment products. According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, 'KAIO's unique position unlocks new pathways for capital formation and investment by bringing institutional-grade assets onto the blockchain and making them more broadly accessible, which helps expand participation in global financial markets.' The company's platform embeds compliance into its system and supports regulated distribution frameworks in several jurisdictions, including Abu Dhabi, the Cayman Islands, and Singapore. To date, KAIO has tokenized approximately $100 million in assets and processed over $500 million in transactions.