VCs Pumped $4B Into Crypto Firms in Q2: CB Insights

The second quarter saw a record $4 billion in venture capital raised by cryptocurrency firms, amid a bumper crop of $30.8 billion in fintech deals generally, a 29% increase from the year before, according to business trend watcher CB Insights.

The report mentioned sizable funding rounds, such as those from stablecoin company Circle, which snagged a then-record $440 million in May. (The new largest funding round by a crypto firm came earlier this week when crypto derivatives exchange FTX announced it raised $900 million.)

Also noted by CB Insights was hardware wallet maker Ledger’s $380 million funding in June; a $300 million round in April for custody firm Paxos (which, like Circle, also acts as the steward of stablecoins); Block.one’s $300 million funding round in May for its Bullish exchange; and Mexico City-based crypto exchange Bitso’s $250 million haul in May.

While bitcoin and other cryptocurrency prices have flattened in recent weeks, the size of crypto raises appears to be increasing so far in the third quarter, with FTX leading the charge.

“Q2’21 was the largest funding quarter on record,” the report said of fundraising overall, adding:

“Across 657 deals, global VC-backed fintech companies raised a record $30.8B, shattering last quarter’s funding record by 30%. This impressive funding growth was accompanied by a modest 2% deal growth quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and a 29% increase year-over-year (YoY).”

Sectors to watch

Crypto has brought about a new age in banking compliance, the report said. Blockchain analytics companies, which track transactions and aid regulators and law enforcement, are another hot area in terms of funding.

The report mentioned two major rounds for such companies in June – Chainalysis raising $100 million and CipherTrace raising $27 million.

CB Insights also singled out crypto custody and infrastructure as sub-segments that were notable for their ability to raise money. In addition to the funding for Ledger and Paxos, San Francisco custody tech firm PolySign raised $53 million and London-based custody firm Copper raised $25 million.