Digital Asset Raises $135 Million for Canton Network Expansion

Digital Asset, the developer of the privacy-focused blockchain Canton Network, has successfully raised $135 million in a strategic funding round. This round was led by DRW Venture Capital and Tradeweb Markets, with additional participation from a diverse group of institutions, including BNP Paribas, Circle Ventures, Citadel Securities, Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), Virtu Financial, Paxos, and others.

Privacy has long been a critical concern for enterprise users of blockchains, particularly for banks and large financial institutions. Digital Asset’s Canton Network has prioritized configurable privacy, attracting major companies like Goldman Sachs and BNY Mellon to test real-world assets (RWAs) on the platform. CEO Yuval Rooz emphasized the network's flexibility, stating that users can issue assets with varying levels of privacy, from fully transparent to completely private, all coexisting on the same network.

The newly raised capital will be used to expand the reach of RWAs on Canton, which currently includes a wide range of financial instruments such as bonds, money market funds, alternative funds, commodities, repurchase agreements (repos), mortgages, life insurance, and annuities. This funding round is expected to accelerate the adoption and integration of these assets onto the Canton Network, further solidifying its position as a leading protocol for global collateral mobility.

Don Wilson, the founder and CEO of DRW, highlighted the significance of this funding round, noting that it brings together major players from both the crypto and traditional finance sectors. He stated that with trillions of dollars’ worth of real-world assets already leveraging the Canton Blockchain, this investment creates substantial momentum for the company and establishes Canton as the de facto protocol for global collateral mobility.