KAIO Completes $8 Million Strategic Funding Round Led by Tether to Tokenize UAE Funds

On April 20, Abu Dhabi-based regulated tokenization infrastructure company KAIO announced the completion of an $8 million strategic funding round, led by Tether, with participation from various crypto and institutional investors, bringing the total funding to $19 million. New investors include Systemic Ventures, Further Ventures, and Laser Digital, while existing shareholders such as Brevan Howard Digital also participated. KAIO aims to tokenize traditional fund products from institutions like BlackRock, Brevan Howard, and Hamilton Lane, lowering the entry barrier with a minimum investment of just $100 for qualified users. The company plans to expand its business into credit, structured products, and ETFs, and is collaborating with UAE private equity giant Mubadala Capital, which manages $385 billion in assets, to launch on-chain funds. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino stated that KAIO will bring institutional-grade assets on-chain and enhance accessibility, paving new paths for capital formation and investment. The KAIO platform is embedded within a compliance framework, supporting regulatory systems in Abu Dhabi, the Cayman Islands, Singapore, and more. Currently, the company manages approximately $100 million in assets and has processed over $500 million in transactions.