The exchange's first institutional funding round values it at $20 billion and will fund expansion into tokenized securities and derivatives.
By Will Canny, AI Boost|Edited by Sheldon Reback Jul 16, 2026, 6:00 p.m. 1 min readMake preferred on ShareShare this articleCopy linkX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmailMake preferred on Citadel CEO Ken Griffin (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)SummaryShow- Citadel Securities invested $400 million in Crypto.com, valuing the company at $20 billion.
- The deal marks Crypto.com's first institutional fundraising round since its founding in 2016.
- Crypto.com said it will use the capital to expand into tokenized securities, derivatives and other asset classes as crypto and traditional finance converge.
Crypto.com has successfully received a $400 million strategic investment from Citadel Securities, which values the exchange at $20 billion. This investment signifies Crypto.com’s initial institutional fundraising effort since its inception in 2016, according to a company press release issued on Thursday.
This funding comes amid a growing trend of traditional financial institutions engaging with digital assets, as the sector increasingly focuses on tokenized assets.
The Singapore-based exchange announced that the funds will be used to enhance its expansion into tokenized securities, derivatives, and various other asset classes, aiming to integrate traditional and digital markets with a comprehensive trading infrastructure available 24/7.
This transaction highlights a larger trend where conventional financial firms are intensifying their investments in cryptocurrency infrastructure. Following the launch of spot bitcoin BTC$64,221.07 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in January 2024, there has been a noticeable increase in Wall Street firms entering the realms of digital asset trading, tokenization, and custody, while institutional investors are scaling up their planned allocations for crypto, as per research from EY.
"The potential in front of us is enormous, as crypto increasingly becomes the backbone of finance,” stated Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com, in the press release.
Since its establishment in 2016, Crypto.com has evolved into one of the leading cryptocurrency platforms globally, progressively expanding its offerings to include institutional products alongside its retail services.
The company is also working on developing new products in sectors such as prediction markets and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).
Read more: Citadel abandons multi-year crypto lawsuit to focus on bankruptcy order against an ex-employee
CitadelFundraisingTokenizationAI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.Related AssetsBitcoin$64,221.070.92%Latest Crypto News- 1$1.9 trillion asset manager T. Rowe Price bets on active management with first multi-token crypto ETF22 minutes ago
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Gate Leads Spot Market Share Gains as CEX Volumes Rise for First Time in Five Months
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CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B.
By CoinDesk ResearchJul 13, 2026CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B.
Why it matters:
CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B.
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