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Institutional blockchain infrastructure provider Digital Asset, the creator of the Canton Network, has raised about $50 million in strategic investments from BNY, iCapital, Nasdaq and S&P Global, according to a person familiar with the deal. <\/p>\n
According to an announcement on Thursday, the strategic funding will build on Digital Asset\u2019s strong momentum to scale the Canton Network following recent funding milestones that raised $135 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n The participation of these four big names highlights the range of institutions supporting the Canton Network, as big banks, exchanges, data, and wealth infrastructure all lend their weight to the same underlying blockchain stack. <\/p>\n \u201cInstitutions across the financial ecosystem recognize the necessity of blockchain infrastructure purpose-built for regulated markets,\u201d said Yuval Rooz, CEO of Digital Asset. \u201cThe addition of BNY, iCapital, S&P Global, and Nasdaq marks another milestone in the evolution of both Digital Asset and Canton.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canton Network is a public, permissionless layer-1 blockchain with a focus on institutional-grade compliance and configurable privacy. According to the company, Canton now underpins trillions of dollars\u2019 worth of tokenized real\u2011world assets, with more than 600 institutions and validators participating across the network.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>Tokenized money market funds surge to $9B; BIS warns of new risks<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The latest investor roster to back Canton suggests that the network\u2019s thesis is resonating with large incumbents who want public\u2011chain benefits without sacrificing privacy or regulatory comfort. Canton pitches itself as a \u201cnetwork of networks\u201d with configurable privacy and compliance controls, explicitly aimed at regulated markets rather than retail DeFi experimentation.\u200b\u200b<\/p>\n Global asset manager Franklin Templeton is already building on these rails<\/a>. In October, the $1.6 trillion asset manager said it would move its Benji Investments platform, which tokenizes shares of its flagship US money market fund, onto Canton Network, extending a live tokenized-fund product that previously ran on public chains into Canton\u2019s institutional ecosystem.<\/p>\n Unlike other networks, Canton avoided the ICO route<\/a>. Its tokenomics are designed to favor validators and applications that drive real transaction activity on the network, rather than pure token speculation, as Rootz previously told Cointelegraph:<\/p>\n \u201cOur thesis was focused on serving large-scale institutions. We\u2019ve been very patient. We refused to do an ICO. We refuse to do a token pre-mine. We\u2019ve really thought about the tokenomics.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>VC Roundup: elective capital, shrinking rounds highlight crypto\u2019s cautious reset<\/strong><\/em><\/a> <\/p>\n A person familiar with the deal told Cointelegraph that the latest investments build directly on Digital Asset\u2019s $135 million strategic round earlier this year, which brought in DRW, Tradeweb, Goldman Sachs, DTCC, Citadel Securities, Paxos, and others to help scale Canton and onboard more real\u2011world assets.<\/p>\n The timing is notable. This week, Vanguard, the second-largest asset manager<\/a> in the world, announced that it would finally allow its clients to start trading crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds on its platform, reversing its prior anti-Bitcoin stance.<\/p>\n Bank of America, the second-largest US bank, also revised its policy on crypto<\/a>, reportedly recommending a 1%\u20134% allocation to its wealth management clients. <\/p>\nCanton Network\u2019s bet on institutional rails<\/h2>\n
Part of a broader institutional thaw<\/h2>\n