Sentora Emerges as Institutional DeFi Gateway Amid Growing Crypto Consolidation
3min read The $3 billion crypto analytics firm IntoTheBlock and the DeFi liquidity structuring specialist Trident Digital have merged to form Sentora, a new institutional-grade platform aimed at unlocking decentralized finance (DeFi) for traditional financial institutions. Backed by a $25 million Series A funding round led by New Form Capital and including strategic investors like Ripple and Tribe Capital, the merger represents a significant step in the ongoing consolidation of the crypto industry—and a bold bet on DeFi’s potential to attract trillions in institutional capital.
The Merge: Combining Analytics and Liquidity Expertise
The union merges two complementary strengths: IntoTheBlock’s institutional DeFi deployment experience—managing over $3 billion in assets—and Trident’s expertise in structuring liquidity programs for major protocols like Aave and Paxos. The result is a single platform offering end-to-end solutions for institutions seeking to navigate DeFi’s fragmented landscape. Sentora’s services span yield optimization, risk management dashboards, compliance frameworks, and smart contract infrastructure—tools designed to address the core barriers deterring institutional adoption, such as operational complexity and regulatory uncertainty.
Ask Aime: How will the Sentora merger impact traditional financial institutions' adoption of decentralized finance?
Funding and Strategic Partnerships Fuel Ambition
The $25 million Series A, finalized in June 2025, will fund Sentora’s technology development, global partnerships, and institutional service expansion. Notably, two investors are expected to finalize their commitments by June, underscoring strong investor confidence. The round’s participants include not only crypto-native firms like Curved Ventures but also traditional finance-aligned entities such as Ripple and UDHC, signaling a cross-sector endorsement of DeFi’s institutional potential.
Leadership Vision: Building “Rails for $130 Trillion”
CEO Anthony DeMartino, former head of risk strategies at Coinbase, and CTO Jesús Rodríguez, co-founder of IntoTheBlock, frame Sentora’s mission as creating foundational infrastructure for institutional DeFi. DeMartino emphasizes the need to “abstract the complexity” of interacting with thousands of DeFi protocols while maintaining transparency. Rodríguez adds that Sentora’s tools—such as real-time risk dashboards and tokenized asset frameworks—will enable institutions to deploy capital without sacrificing control.
Their vision aligns with industry trends: 88 crypto mergers and acquisitions were recorded in the first four months of 2025, a record pace. Yet DeFi’s current $130 billion TVL (per DefiLlama) remains dwarfed by traditional markets, leaving room for exponential growth—if institutional trust can be won.
The Institutionalization Play: Risk Management as the Gateway
Investors and executives highlight risk management and compliance as the critical differentiators for attracting institutional capital. New Form Capital’s Alex Marinier praises Sentora for offering “both [risk controls and compliance] without sacrificing performance,” a rarity in DeFi. Sentora’s OTC services, tailored liquidity programs, and advisory offerings for treasuries further position it as a pragmatic bridge between legacy systems and blockchain-based finance.
Unlike earlier DeFi platforms focused on abstract protocols or speculative tools, Sentora prioritizes practicality. Its infrastructure solutions streamline interactions with decentralized protocols, while its advisory services help institutions navigate regulatory gray areas—a necessity as jurisdictions like the EU and U.S. tighten oversight of crypto assets.
Differentiation in a Crowded Space
Sentora’s value proposition hinges on execution. Competitors like DeFi Saver or InstaDapp focus on retail or niche institutional services, but few combine Trident’s liquidity structuring with IntoTheBlock’s data-driven analytics. Sentora’s emphasis on “institutional-grade” services—certified compliance frameworks, 24/7 risk monitoring, and enterprise-level APIs—sets it apart in an industry often seen as too volatile for pension funds or sovereign wealth managers.
Conclusion: A Pivotal Moment for DeFi’s Institutional Future
Sentora’s emergence underscores a pivotal inflection point in crypto’s evolution. With $25 million in funding, strategic partnerships, and a leadership team steeped in institutional finance, it is well-positioned to capitalize on the $130 trillion in traditional assets that could eventually flow into DeFi.
Crucially, its timing aligns with accelerating industry consolidation: the 88 M&A deals in early 2025 (up from 62 in all of 2024) suggest a sector maturing rapidly. Yet challenges remain. DeFi’s TVL has stagnated near $130 billion since late 2023, even as traditional markets grow. Sentora’s success will depend on whether its tools can meaningfully reduce the risk-perception gap between DeFi and traditional finance—a gap that, if closed, could unlock a new era of institutional capital inflows.
As DeMartino puts it, the goal is to “build the rails for the next $130 trillion.” If Sentora succeeds, it won’t just be a gateway—it could become the highway.
