January 2026 Crypto VC Trend Analysis: Funding Surges 61%, Is the Stablecoin Payment Track Leading?

Stablecoin company Rain completed a new funding round in January 2026, raising $250 million at a valuation of up to $1.95 billion. Led by top investment firm ICONIQ, this financing will be used for its global market expansion.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. According to Wu Says Blockchain citing RootData statistics, in January 2026, the total publicly disclosed VC funding in the cryptocurrency space reached $14.57 billion, a significant month-over-month increase of 61%.

Market Overview

The crypto venture capital market in January 2026 exhibits a clear structural characteristic: the number of projects has contracted, but total funding has surged.

According to statistics, 52 investment projects were publicly disclosed that month, down 15% from 61 in December 2025. However, total funding jumped from $9.06 billion to $14.57 billion, an increase of 61%.

This indicates that capital is concentrating into larger single deals, focusing on more mature, clearly defined leading projects.

In terms of sector distribution, DeFi (Decentralized Finance) and CeFi (Centralized Finance) remain the most favored areas, accounting for about 40% combined. Stablecoins and their related payment infrastructure are undoubtedly the focal point of the month.

Star Cases

The star of this month’s funding events is undoubtedly stablecoin payment company Rain. Its post-money valuation of $1.95 billion and $250 million funding round both top the list.

Rain’s core business is providing infrastructure for enterprises to issue Visa stablecoin debit cards. This allows users to spend stablecoins directly at any Visa-accepting location worldwide, greatly enhancing the practical usability of stablecoins.

Rain’s CEO Farooq Malik revealed that over the past year, the company’s active card base grew 30-fold, and annualized payment volume increased 38 times. This rapid business growth is the fundamental reason behind its high valuation.

The current round was led by ICONIQ, with participation from top-tier firms such as Sapphire Ventures, Dragonfly, Lightspeed, and others. The funds will be used for business expansion across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as adapting to changing global regulations.

Other Major Funding Events

Besides Rain, January saw multiple billion-dollar funding rounds, indicating strong capital interest in the intersection of crypto infrastructure and traditional finance.

• BitGo successfully IPOs: The crypto custody giant BitGo completed its first crypto company IPO in 2026, priced at $18 per share, raising approximately $213 million, with a valuation exceeding $2 billion.
• Ripple strategic partnership: Ripple announced a $150 million financing to LMAX Group to promote the application of its stablecoin RLUSD in global institutional trading systems.
• Fireblocks acquisition: Blockchain infrastructure firm Fireblocks acquired crypto accounting platform TRES Finance for about $130 million to enhance its enterprise asset management capabilities.

The top 10 funding rounds in January 2026 reveal the main directions of current capital flow:

Trends and Insights

January’s funding data clearly points to several key trends: the deployment of payment applications, institutional-grade infrastructure, and compliance development.

The explosion of stablecoin payments is no accident. With TRC20-USDT issuance surpassing 84.4 billion tokens, reaching a record high, its use cases extend far beyond trading, with large volumes used for P2P payments and small remittances. This provides a huge market foundation for companies like Rain that integrate stablecoins into traditional payment networks.

On the other hand, the success of BitGo’s IPO and Fireblocks’ acquisition demonstrate that providing secure, compliant, comprehensive services for institutions is a validated track. Capital is actively building bridges connecting traditional finance and the crypto world.

For exchanges, this means listing strategies and ecosystem development should focus more on projects with real cash flow and clear use cases. For example, paying attention to ecosystem tokens dedicated to enhancing stablecoin utility.

Summary

Large VC bets offer directional guidance for retail investors. The capital market is betting on the future of stablecoins becoming mainstream payment methods.

On major global trading platforms like Gate, investors should closely monitor tokens related to payments, compliant custody, and RWA (Real World Assets). Infrastructure tokens and leading projects in these sectors could capture significant value in the future.

It’s worth noting that as of February 6, 2026, despite high enthusiasm in the VC market, the secondary market remains in a correction phase. Investors should consider both technical and fundamental analysis, utilize the abundant trading pairs on platforms like Gate, and practice prudent risk management.

The stablecoin battlefield has shifted from mere issuance and trading to integration with daily payments and global financial infrastructure. The rise of companies like Rain may signal that a large-scale application of crypto assets is approaching a critical turning point.