Tether Leads $8 Million Strategic Round for Asset Tokenization Company KAIO to Onboard UAE Fund Onto the Blockchain

April 20 – Abu Dhabi-based regulated tokenization infrastructure firm KAIO has closed an $8 million strategic funding round led by Tether, with participation from multiple crypto and institutional investors, pushing total funding to $19 million. New backers include Systemic Ventures, Further Ventures, and Laser Digital; existing shareholders such as Brevan Howard Digital also participated in the round. KAIO aims to tokenize traditional fund products from firms including BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane, lowering the entry barrier to just $100 for eligible investors. The firm plans to expand into credit, structured products, and ETFs, and partner with Mubadala Capital—a UAE-based private equity giant with $385 billion in assets under management—to launch on-chain funds. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino noted that KAIO will tokenize institutional-grade assets to boost accessibility, creating new avenues for capital formation and investment. KAIO’s platform integrates a compliance framework and aligns with regulatory frameworks in Abu Dhabi, the Cayman Islands, Singapore, and other jurisdictions. The firm currently oversees ~$100 million in assets and has processed over $500 million in transactions.