Binance, Polymarket lead as VCs deploy $25bn into crypto companies

Investors have deployed nearly $25 billion into crypto companies in 2025, dwarfing last year’s by over 150% and blowing past market watchers’ expectations.

Top guns involved in dealmaking this year include tech-focused firms Paradigm and Sequoia Capital, as well as Wall Street juggernauts BlackRock, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs.

The most popular sectors? Centralised exchanges with $4.4 billion, prediction markets with $3.2 billion, and DeFi platforms with $2.9 billion, according to data from DefiLlama.

“The projects attracting capital today are those aligned with regulatory clarity, operational resilience, and the ability to integrate with TradFi institutions and their standards,” Jordan Knecht, head of institutional strategies at GlobalStake, the blockchain services firm, told DL News.

“In the middle of a choppy market, investors are signalling that they prefer durable, compliance-first businesses that aim to establish a long-term foundation for this asset class,” Knecht said.

Knecht isn’t alone to note that the crypto market has evolved this year.

Charles Chong, VP of strategy at crypto-native advisory firm BlockSpaceForce, told DL News that “the environment for crypto startups is shifting.”

Chong said that capital is rotating toward mature players whose revenue and unit economics justify valuation.

“None of this signals weakness; it simply reflects a market that is normalising and maturing,” he said, adding that raises are “becoming more rational, more aligned with fundamentals, and less driven by reflexive speculation.”

Georgii Verbitskii, angel investor and founder of the crypto investment firm TYMIO, told DL News that crypto is closely following the same pattern as other market cycles.

“In every major technology cycle, capital first flows into the base layer — the rails, liquidity, and settlement systems — before it moves into consumer-facing applications,” he said.

Here are some of the most notable raises this year.

Binance, $2 billion

Binance, said to be the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume, secured a massive raise of $2 billion in March. This significant capital injection was led by Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and advanced technology investor MGX.

Binance CEO Richard Teng said that “this investment by MGX is a significant milestone for the crypto industry and for Binance.

Polymarket, $2 billion

Betting platform Polymarket closed a major funding round worth $2 billion in October, led by Intercontinental Exchange, valuing it around $8 billion. Once a fringe crypto‑betting site, the capital infusion reflects high institutional confidence.

Circle, $1.1 billion

Circle Internet Group, the issuer of the $76 billion stablecoin USDC, raised $1.1 billion in its June initial public offering. The blockbuster IPO was led by JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs serving as joint lead bookrunners, joined by Barclays, Deutsche Bank, and Société Générale as bookrunners.

Founded in 2013, Circle has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the United States’ warming to the crypto industry.

You’re reading the latest instalment of The Weekly Raise, our column covering fundraising deals across the crypto and DeFi spaces, powered by DefiLlama.

Lance Datskoluo is DL News’ Europe-based markets correspondent. Got a tip? Email at lance@dlnews.com.