Crypto venture activity delivered $151 million in disclosed financing across five deals between Sept. 5 and Sept. 11, 2026. Nasdaq Ventures’ planned $100 million investment in Payward, the parent company of Kraken, accounted for the majority of the total, while stablecoin payments company Latitude followed with a $35 million Series A. The week also brought fresh capital for decentralized derivatives, Web3 gaming and geospatial data infrastructure.
Key Takeaways
- $151 million was disclosed across five crypto financing deals during the week.
- Payward secured a $100 million investment agreement from Nasdaq Ventures, representing about 66% of the weekly total.
- Latitude raised $35 million to expand stablecoin-powered cross-border payments.
- Antarctic Exchange announced $7 million for its decentralized perpetual-futures platform.
- RealGo and TINA raised $6 million and $3 million, respectively.
- TRM Labs reached a $2 billion valuation in a new investment but did not disclose the amount raised.
The weekly figure includes publicly disclosed financing amounts only. It does not count transactions where the capital amount was undisclosed, company valuations, or acquisitions. Nasdaq’s $100 million transaction is also treated as announced financing because the parties described it as an agreement to invest rather than confirming that the capital had already been transferred.
Nasdaq’s $100 Million Payward Deal Dominates the Week
The biggest crypto financing announcement came from Nasdaq Ventures, which agreed to invest $100 million in Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken.
The deal represents a significant connection between traditional financial-market infrastructure and the digital-asset sector. Nasdaq and Payward are already working together on tokenized equities, with the companies planning to connect Nasdaq’s proposed Equity Tokens framework with Payward’s xStocks infrastructure.
The partnership also includes plans for Payward to adopt Nasdaq’s market-surveillance technology across its trading venues.
Nasdaq currently expects its equity-token framework to launch during the second quarter of 2027. That remains a projected launch timeframe rather than an operational product.
The investment agreement alone represented approximately 66% of the $151 million in disclosed financing announced during the week.
Its size also illustrates how crypto funding is increasingly extending beyond startups focused exclusively on tokens or consumer applications. Financial infrastructure, tokenization and institutional trading are attracting capital from established players in traditional markets.
Latitude Secures $35 Million for Stablecoin-Powered Payments
Stablecoins were another major theme during the week as Latitude raised $35 million in Series A funding led by Oak HC/FT.
Latitude is developing infrastructure designed to use stablecoins for settlement while ultimately delivering funds through conventional banking and payment networks.
That model addresses a practical challenge in cross-border payments. Stablecoins can move digital dollar value across blockchain networks, but businesses still need banking connections, liquidity, regulatory approvals and local payment infrastructure to turn those transfers into usable payments.
Oak HC/FT described Latitude as providing businesses with a unified interface for sending money internationally.
The investor also said Latitude had obtained money-transmitter licenses or approvals across 45 U.S. markets, giving the company a regulatory foundation for expanding its cross-border payment services.
The $35 million represents Latitude’s latest Series A. An earlier $8 million financing announced in March is outside this week’s calculation.
Combined, the Payward and Latitude transactions contributed $135 million, accounting for approximately 89% of the week’s disclosed financing.
Antarctic Exchange Raises $7 Million for Decentralized Derivatives
The third-largest transaction involved Antarctic Exchange, which announced $7 million in financing for its decentralized perpetual-futures platform.
The deal was structured as a SAFE-plus-token financing, with Valisa Capital Markets and Lucidity Capital among the named backers. Republic Crypto structured the token component of the transaction.
Antarctic Exchange reported a $70 million valuation alongside the financing.
That valuation should not be confused with the $7 million raised. A valuation reflects the implied value assigned to a company in an investment transaction, while the financing amount represents new capital provided to the business.
The company is developing derivatives products aimed at retail traders.
Antarctic’s statements regarding its platform’s performance and market position originate from the company’s financing announcement and therefore should be treated as company-reported claims rather than independently verified results.
Nevertheless, the financing highlights continuing investor interest in decentralized derivatives infrastructure.
RealGo Brings Web3 Gaming Into the Funding Mix
Web3 gaming company RealGo reported a separate $6 million strategic financing involving UZ Capital, Greenwood Global Capital and Infinite Alliance.
The company plans to direct the new capital toward product development, hiring and artificial intelligence research, according to reports surrounding the transaction.
The financing adds another category to the week’s fundraising activity, although its size was considerably smaller than the capital directed toward financial infrastructure and stablecoin payments.
RealGo’s latest round is separate from previous financing secured by the company.
TINA Raises $3 Million for Geospatial Data Infrastructure
Geospatial data project TINA announced another $3 million financing during the week.
The round included THINKWARE, Gemhead Capital, Archer Capital, Astra Capital, Mayer Venture and Tidal Capital, according to ChainCatcher.
TINA intends to use the funding to expand its location-data network and associated dashcam ecosystem.
No lead investor was established in the available reporting, so the participating firms are listed without assigning a lead role.
The deal was the smallest of the five financings included in the $151 million weekly total.
TRM Labs Hits $2 Billion Valuation Without Revealing Round Size
Blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs also announced an important financing development, although its transaction does not contribute a disclosed dollar amount to the weekly total.
The San Francisco-based company announced an expansion of its Series C on Sept. 9, with Blockchain Capital leading the investment.
TRM said its valuation had reached $2 billion, representing a doubling from the valuation attached to its February Series C.
The company did not disclose how much additional capital was raised.
That distinction matters when assessing venture activity. A $2 billion valuation does not mean that $2 billion entered the company. It represents the value assigned to the business under the terms of the investment.
Consequently, TRM’s transaction remains outside the $151 million calculation.
Robinhood’s Crypto Partnerships Include Undisclosed Equity Stakes
Robinhood also announced a strategic arrangement involving Crypto.com and OG.com through a prediction-markets partnership.
The companies said Robinhood would hold equity stakes in the businesses, but the financial value of those stakes was not disclosed.
OG.com said Robinhood would route some event-contract volume through its U.S. derivatives infrastructure.
Although the arrangement represents strategic activity involving major financial and crypto companies, the absence of a disclosed investment amount means neither transaction contributes to the $151 million financing figure.
Why Crypto Investors Are Focusing on Infrastructure
The week’s funding distribution reveals an increasingly infrastructure-oriented crypto investment landscape.
The two largest deals were not primarily bets on speculative digital assets. Instead, they targeted systems connecting crypto technology with established financial markets.
Nasdaq’s planned investment in Payward is closely tied to tokenized securities, trading infrastructure and market surveillance. Latitude’s Series A is focused on the infrastructure needed to turn stablecoin settlement into practical international payments.
Meanwhile, Antarctic Exchange demonstrates that decentralized derivatives remain an area of interest for venture investors.
Together, these transactions suggest that investors are continuing to look for businesses capable of connecting blockchain networks with real financial activity.
Funding Numbers Tell Only Part of the Story
The reported $151 million should not be interpreted as the complete amount of capital flowing into crypto companies during the week.
Private companies frequently disclose financing without revealing the size of the transaction. Strategic investments can also involve undisclosed terms, while acquisitions may appear in fundraising databases despite not representing fresh venture capital for the acquired business.
The weekly calculation therefore focuses specifically on financing amounts that could be publicly identified.
This methodology also prevents valuations from inflating the fundraising figure. TRM Labs’ $2 billion valuation, for example, is significant for the company’s financing history but cannot be counted as $2 billion of new capital.
Traditional Finance and Crypto Continue to Converge
The strongest signal from the week’s activity may be the growing involvement of established financial institutions in crypto infrastructure.
Nasdaq’s planned $100 million investment in Payward places traditional market infrastructure directly alongside one of the industry’s largest cryptocurrency platforms. At the same time, Latitude’s stablecoin-focused financing demonstrates continued demand for systems capable of connecting blockchain settlement with conventional financial networks.
Smaller investments in decentralized derivatives, gaming and geospatial infrastructure show that capital is still reaching a diverse range of crypto applications.
For the week of Sept. 5 to 11, however, the message from venture markets was particularly clear: the largest pools of disclosed capital are increasingly targeting the infrastructure needed to integrate digital assets with the broader financial system.
