Venture Capital Funding in Crypto: $292 Million, 93% in Stablecoins and Banks
During the week from August 31 to September 5, 2026, ten companies active in crypto and blockchain announced $292.35 million in funding distributed across various deals. This figure tells more than just a simple total: it shows where capital in the sector is truly concentrating at this moment. The crypto venture capital funding during this period is almost exclusively focused on a specific area, that of payments in stablecoins and tokenized banking infrastructures, leaving aside the more speculative bets that once characterized the sector.
Summary
- Overview of recent funding in the crypto and blockchain space
- $200 million funding from Félix for stablecoin-based remittances
- Details on the investment round and main investors
- Use of USDC on Stellar and expansion plans
- Cari raises $32.5 million for tokenized commercial bank deposit network
- Investments from U.S. banks and network governance
- Tokenized deposits as bank liabilities
- Funding and advancements of OpenReserve and Diameter Pay
- Seed round of OpenReserve and status of banking charter approval
- Series A of Diameter Pay and infrastructure for stablecoin payments
- Minor projects: from DeFi to predictive markets
- FAQ
- What was the total amount of recently reported crypto funding and in what period?
- Who led the $200 million funding for Félix and what will the company focus on in the future?
- How is Cari's tokenized deposit network structured and who invested?
- What progress has OpenReserve made towards regulated bank status in the U.S.?
Overview of Recent Funding in the Crypto and Blockchain Space
The total reported for the week amounts to $292.35 million, but the most significant data concerns its distribution: payments and banking infrastructures alone absorbed $267.5 million, about 91.5% of the entire capital flow. This concentration speaks volumes about the current priorities of institutional investors, who are increasingly oriented towards projects with a readable business model rather than pioneering bets.
The total includes the $113 million credit obtained by Félix, which is why the figure should be read as overall disclosed funding and not as pure venture capital in the strict sense. The data collected from DeFiLlama and CryptoRank, along with direct announcements from companies, exclude acquisitions and unconfirmed operations, such as the $1 billion round attributed to Polymarket but not verified.
$200 Million Funding from Félix for Stablecoin-Based Remittances
Félix, a Miami-based company, secured $200 million in a Series C round aimed at expanding its financial platform designed for the Latin community in the United States, built around WhatsApp. This is the largest round reported during the week and alone illustrates how capital is rewarding those who have already demonstrated commercial traction.
Details on the Investment Round and Main Investors
The financing consists of an equity investment of $87 million led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from QED Investors, Castle Island Ventures, Switch Ventures, Contour Venture Partners, and Endeavor Catalyst. Additionally, there is a $113 million credit provided by the Customer Value Fund of General Catalyst, bringing the total raised to approximately $300 million since the company was founded. Félix has not disclosed its current valuation, only stating that the figure would be three times that of the $75 million Series B in 2025.
Use of USDC on Stellar and Expansion Plans {#Use_of_USDC_on_Stellar_and_Expansion_Plans}
Félix uses USDC on the Stellar network to settle cross-border transfers and collaborates with Bitso to move funds between digital assets and local currencies. The company has stated that it has processed over $8 billion in transactions across 11 Latin American markets, reaching more than six million people. The growth plan includes expanding beyond traditional remittances into savings, loans, and AI-assisted financial services.
Why does this matter? Because it marks an attempt to transform a remittance service into a complete financial infrastructure for a historically underserved population by the traditional banking system, leveraging the stability of stablecoins as a glue between different currencies.
Cari Raises $32.5 Million for Tokenized Commercial Bank Deposit Network {#Cari_Raises_32.5_Million_for_Tokenized_Commercial_Bank_Deposit_Network}
Cari, based in Washington D.C., has secured $32.5 million in the first tranche of its initial external funding round, with all capital coming from U.S. banking institutions. It is the second most significant round of the week and is noteworthy not only for the amount but also for who has subscribed: real banks, not generalist venture capital funds.
Investments from U.S. Banks and Network Governance {#Investments_from_US_Banks_and_Network_Governance}
The financing included participation from First Horizon Bank, Huntington Bank, KeyBank, M&T Bank, Old National Bank, SouthState Bank, and Glacier Bank. Cari is building a network governed by the banks themselves, allowing authorized institutions to issue and transfer tokenized commercial bank deposits. The permissioned network, anchored to Ethereum, leaves participating banks fully responsible for issuing and managing their deposits. The funds raised will be used to develop the product, integrate new banks into the network, and complete technical onboarding: Cari has already signed agreements with 30 banks and is in discussions with another 40 institutions.
Tokenized Deposits as Bank Liabilities {#Tokenized_Deposits_as_Bank_Liabilities}
Unlike stablecoins, which are backed by separate reserves, Cari's tokenized deposits represent actual liabilities of the banks that issue them. It is a technical but crucial distinction: the structure allows regional and community banks to adopt programmable payment rails without having to relinquish control of deposits to non-bank entities, a particularly sensitive issue for smaller institutions that fear being disintermediated by crypto platforms.
Funding and Progress of OpenReserve and Diameter Pay {#Funding_and_Progress_of_OpenReserve_and_Diameter_Pay}
OpenReserve and Diameter Pay complete the picture of the most significant operations of the week, both aimed at building regulated infrastructures for banking and payments in stablecoins.
OpenReserve's Seed Round and Bank Charter Approval Status {#OpenReserve_s_Seed_Round_and_Bank_Charter_Approval_Status}
OpenReserve has announced a seed round of $25 million led by a16z crypto, with participation from Jump Crypto, Acrew Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Wintermute Ventures, Clocktower Technology Ventures, Quona Capital, AAF Management, and Zero Knowledge. The announcement came shortly after preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a bank charter in the United States. Before commencing actual banking operations, OpenReserve must still raise at least $210 million in initial paid-in capital, obtain coverage from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and meet the pre-operational requirements of the OCC.
The proposed bank, based in Utah, aims to offer deposits, loans, digital asset custody, tokenized deposits, and stablecoin payment services, with an infrastructure designed to ensure settlement even outside the operating hours of traditional U.S. payment systems. Why does this detail matter? Because it signals a concrete, albeit still preliminary, path toward the creation of a natively crypto American bank, a goal that has so far encountered more regulatory hurdles than successes.
Diameter Pay's Series A and Infrastructure for Stablecoin Payments {#Diameter_Pay_s_Series_A_and_Infrastructure_for_Stablecoin_Payments}
Diameter Pay, based in Jersey City, has raised $10 million in a Series A round co-led by CMT Digital and Lightspeed Faction, with participation from SixThirty Ventures, Stellar Development Foundation, Onigiri Capital, Tech Council Ventures, and BitRock Capital. The company provides banks, fintechs, and digital asset exchanges with virtual dollar accounts, domestic and international payment rails, access to stablecoins, and compliance tools via API. Diameter Pay reported processing over $10 billion in payments during 2026, even before announcing the funding. The new funds will be used to expand banking connections, stablecoin settlement services, currency exchange products, and compliance infrastructure.
Minor Projects: From DeFi to Predictive Markets {#Minor_Projects_From_DeFi_to_Predictive_Markets}
In addition to the major rounds, the week saw a series of smaller operations confirming how capital is shifting towards specific niches. Firelight raised $8 million led by gumi Cryptos Capital to build coverage against smart contract exploits and other DeFi risks, while MemeBitcoin secured $8 million in a strategic round for its public launch. GAEA closed $3.6 million for decentralized artificial intelligence infrastructure, and the Colombian fintech Plenti raised $3 million led by Tether to expand its multi-currency platform into Peru and Bolivia.
Below the $3 million threshold, ParlayX is noted with $1.25 million for tools aimed at institutional predictive markets, and the DeFi protocol Polaris completed a $1 million angel round to develop pETH, a yield-bearing collateral asset designed to support decentralized stablecoins and synthetic assets.
-- Price
FAQ {#FAQ}
What was the total amount of recently declared crypto funding and during which period? {#What_was_the_total_amount_of_recently_declared_crypto_funding_and_during_which_period}
Ten companies active in crypto and blockchain have reported a total of $292.35 million distributed across 10 funding operations between August 31 and September 5, 2026.
Who led the $200 million funding round for Félix and what will the company focus on in the future? {#Who_led_the_200_million_funding_round_for_Felix_and_what_will_the_company_focus_on_in_the_future}
Andreessen Horowitz led the $87 million equity component of the overall $200 million round for Félix, which also includes a $113 million line of credit. The company plans to expand from remittances to savings, loans, and AI-supported financial services.
How is Cari's tokenized deposit network structured and who invested? {#How_is_Caris_tokenized_deposit_network_structured_and_who_invested}
Cari's network is a permissioned Layer 2 network governed by banks, allowing the issuance of tokenized commercial bank deposits representing bank liabilities. The round raised $32.5 million from seven U.S. banks.
What progress has OpenReserve made towards becoming a regulated bank in the United States? {#What_progress_has_OpenReserve_made_towards_becoming_a_regulated_bank_in_the_United_States}
OpenReserve announced a $25 million seed round and received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. It will still need to raise additional capital and meet further regulatory requirements before it can begin banking operations.
Content created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and human editorial review.
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