Seismic Bridges Blockchain Transparency with Financial Privacy, Secures $10M

Seismic, a crypto startup focused on enhancing financial privacy for fintech applications, has secured $10 million in a funding round led by a16z crypto, bringing its total funding to $17 million. The round also included participation from Polychain, Amber Group, TrueBridge Capital, dao5, and LayerZero Labs, according to a The Block report. The capital will accelerate the development of Seismic's encrypted blockchain infrastructure, designed to enable fintechs to process crypto transactions without exposing sensitive customer data, as Fortune reported.

Founded by Lyron Co Ting Keh, Seismic aims to bridge the gap between traditional finance's confidentiality and the transparency inherent in public blockchains. The startup's technology allows partners like Brookwell, a stablecoin-based cash account provider, and Cred, a private credit platform, to conduct transactions on a private blockchain, ensuring that customer financial details remain hidden, as Fortune reported. Co Ting Keh emphasized that the growing adoption of crypto by fintechs has created a pressing need for privacy solutions, particularly as cross-border payments and on-chain lending expand, per The Block.

The funding comes amid heightened awareness of data security in the crypto sector. A16z crypto's recent "State of Crypto" report noted a surge in Google searches related to blockchain privacy, reflecting user concerns about data exposure, as Fortune reported. Seismic's approach leverages encryption to address this issue, offering a model where fintechs can retain the benefits of decentralized networks while adhering to privacy expectations akin to traditional banking.

With the new capital, Seismic plans to expand its services to include fiat on- and off-ramping and card programs, aiming to generate revenue through per-transaction fees starting in early 2026, as The Block reported. The company faces competition from Tempo, a Stripe-backed rival valued at $5 billion, but Co Ting Keh expressed confidence in the market's potential to accommodate multiple players, per Fortune.

The investment underscores a broader trend of institutional interest in privacy-centric crypto infrastructure. As regulatory scrutiny and data protection demands grow, startups like Seismic are positioning themselves to redefine how fintechs interact with blockchain technology, balancing innovation with user trust, per The Block.