Cryptocurrency Data Firm Kaiko Secures $110 Million to Build Digital Financial Infrastructure

2026-09-15 digital

Paris, Tuesday 15 September 2026
Led by S&P Global, Kaiko’s expanded $110 million funding round highlights growing institutional backing to build the regulated data infrastructure needed for tokenised traditional assets.

Institutional Backing Anchors the Next Phase of Crypto Data

In a decisive move that signals the growing institutionalisation of digital assets, Paris-founded cryptocurrency market data provider Kaiko has announced a strategic extension to its Series B funding round [1][2]. The extension, led by S&P Global through S&P Global Ventures, brings the company’s total Series B funding to $110 million as of September 2026 [2][3]. A formidable cohort of traditional and digital financial heavyweights joined the round, including BNP Paribas, Bpifrance, Broadridge, Canton Foundation, Coinbase Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, Nasdaq Ventures, Royal Bank of Canada, Stellar, and Susquehanna Private Equity Investments, alongside existing backers Anthemis, Point Nine, and Revaia [1][2][6]. This collective capital injection highlights a broader industry shift, where market data is no longer viewed as a speculative tool but as the foundational plumbing for regulated on-chain finance [5][6].

A Shift from Speculation to Mission-Critical Infrastructure

The participation of prominent global financial institutions underscores the maturing nature of the digital asset ecosystem [5]. According to Kaiko’s leadership, these participants represent the exchanges, custodians, liquidity providers, and Tier 1 banks that actively run the world’s capital markets [5]. Their backing represents an endorsement of Kaiko’s vision to deliver the data infrastructure layer necessary for on-chain capital markets, transforming complex trading and blockchain activity into decision-ready intelligence [1][2]. As traditional finance increasingly interfaces with decentralised networks, having highly auditable, institutional-grade data feeds covering over 150 exchanges and protocols is vital to support around-the-clock trading and capital allocation [1][2][6].

A Unified Infrastructure for Tokenised Assets

A core objective of this funding round is the establishment of a Kaiko-chaired Strategic Industry Working Group [1][2][6]. This group, comprising the participating financial institutions, is tasked with shaping the data and infrastructure standards for tokenised products [1][2]. As legacy financial markets begin migrating traditional instruments—such as sovereign Treasury bills, money market funds, equities, and bonds—onto distributed ledger technology (DLT) networks, the demand for reliable, continuous data becomes paramount [2][6]. Kaiko is actively collaborating with clearinghouses, financial instrument bodies, and market infrastructures to define these standards [5].

Solving the Mobility Challenge on the Blockchain

The transition to on-chain finance introduces unique operational hurdles that go beyond the initial issuance of digital tokens [5]. The primary challenge for institutions is asset mobility: specifically, how to value, track, liquidate, and calculate haircuts on collateral across fragmented public and private DLT networks in real time [5]. By establishing robust data standards, Kaiko aims to provide the transparency required for institutions to deploy capital on-chain with confidence [1][2]. With a client base that already supports more than 250 financial firms, asset managers, and regulators globally, the firm is positioning its data workflows to serve as the standard reference points for these complex transaction environments [2][3][6].

Consolidation and Regulatory Rigour

Kaiko’s expansion has been accelerated by strategic corporate consolidation [1][2]. The firm recently finalised two major acquisitions: Amberdata, a prominent US-based digital asset market data provider that previously stood as its largest American competitor, and Cometh, a MiCA/CASP-regulated DeFi infrastructure provider [2][5]. Integrating Amberdata has deepened Kaiko’s buy-side trust and analytical depth across complex derivatives and options markets, while the acquisition of Cometh has injected smart contract engineering and regulated execution capabilities directly into its core product offering [2][5]. These integrations allow the company to transition from simply delivering data feeds to building the actual delivery mechanisms for on-chain markets [5].

Meeting Global Compliance Standards

Operating in highly regulated financial markets requires strict adherence to compliance frameworks [5]. Kaiko holds SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2 attestations from a Big Four auditing firm and maintains strict alignment with the IOSCO Principles for Financial Benchmarks [1][2]. Furthermore, Kaiko Indices is authorised as a benchmark administrator under the European Union’s Benchmarks Regulation (EU-BMR) and is listed on the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) register [1][2]. Coupled with Cometh’s authorisation by the French Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) as a crypto-asset service provider (CASP) under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, Kaiko offers a level of regulatory protection that is highly attractive to institutional compliance departments [1][2].

Bridging Traditional and Decentralised Finance

The deepening relationship between Kaiko and S&P Global is exemplified by several recent joint initiatives [3]. In March 2026, S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) collaborated with Kaiko to tokenise the iBoxx U.S. Treasuries Index on the blockchain, marking the first time a major index provider offered a financial benchmark as a native digital asset [3]. This was followed in early September 2026 by the launch of the co-branded ‘S&P Kaiko Digital Asset Indices’ suite, designed to cater to the 24/7 nature of digital asset markets [3]. S&P Global has also enabled the licensing of its flagship S&P 500 index for use in tokenised funds and ETFs, further bridging the gap between traditional finance and decentralised protocols [3].

The Road Ahead for On-Chain Capital

With its bolstered balance sheet, a global team operating across Paris, New York, London, and Singapore, and the formal backing of global market leaders, Kaiko is well-positioned to drive the standardisation of digital finance [5]. The strategic investment from S&P Global and other key financial institutions serves as a powerful validation of the critical role that regulated, high-fidelity data plays in the tokenisation of global capital markets [3][5]. As the financial sector moves closer to a unified, on-chain operational model, the establishment of trusted data infrastructure will remain the vital link that ensures transparency, liquidity, and systemic trust [1][2][5].

Sources & Ecosystem Partners

Venture capital Digital assets