KAIO Raises $8M Led by Tether, Total Funding Hits $19M

KAIO, an Abu Dhabi-regulated tokenization firm formerly known as Libre Capital, closed an $8 million strategic funding round on April 20, 2026, led by Tether with participation from Systemic Ventures, Further Ventures, Laser Digital, and Brevan Howard Digital. This brings the company's total funding to $19 million, following an $11 million seed round in July 2025. KAIO has processed over $500 million in transactions and manages approximately $100 million in assets under management, tokenizing funds from major players including BlackRock, Nomura, Brevan Howard, Hamilton Lane, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and Chainlink Labs. The platform operates on blockchains like Sei Network and Hedera, enabling institutional-grade products with minimum investments as low as $100, far below traditional fund thresholds.

The new capital targets expansion of onchain fund distribution infrastructure, introducing credit products, structured finance, and exchange-traded funds. A key initiative involves launching an onchain fund with Mubadala Capital, Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth arm overseeing $385 billion in assets, a partnership announced in December 2025. Tether's involvement aims to integrate USDT liquidity—backed by its $187 billion market cap—into regulated products, focusing on cross-border flows in emerging markets and the UAE. This underscores growing institutional adoption of real-world asset tokenization under frameworks in Abu Dhabi, Cayman Islands, and Singapore.

KAIO's infrastructure allows asset managers to issue, redeem, and transfer tokenized fund shares across jurisdictions, bridging traditional finance and blockchain. Returning investors like Further Ventures and Laser Digital, alongside new backers, signal strong confidence in the RWA sector's trajectory. The firm's traction with global funds positions it to democratize access to high-minimum investments while channeling stablecoin liquidity into compliant channels.