In a strategic funding round, KAIO has raised $8 million with backing from Tether and other prominent crypto and institutional investors. This investment brings the company's total funding to $19 million, with new investors including Systemic Ventures and repeat investors such as Further Ventures and Laser Digital. The Abu Dhabi-based firm is focused on creating infrastructure that enables asset managers to distribute funds on blockchain rails, making them more accessible to a broader range of investors. By tokenizing products from leading firms like BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane, KAIO is making these investment opportunities available through blockchain-based systems.
The company plans to expand its offerings to include credit, structured investments, and exchange-traded funds, with the goal of launching an on-chain fund in partnership with Mubadala Capital, a private equity firm with $385 billion in assets under management. KAIO aims to lower the barriers to entry for investors by offering minimum investments as low as $100, significantly reducing the typical thresholds for institutional funds. The involvement of Tether, a leading stablecoin provider, is expected to facilitate the flow of capital into regulated investment products.
According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, "KAIO's innovative approach unlocks new pathways for capital formation and investment by bringing institutional-grade assets on-chain and making them more broadly accessible, thereby expanding participation in global financial markets." The company's platform is designed to embed compliance into its system, supporting regulated distribution frameworks in key jurisdictions such as Abu Dhabi, the Cayman Islands, and Singapore. To date, KAIO has tokenized approximately $100 million in assets and processed over $500 million in transactions.