According to Chain Catcher statistics, from January 11 to 17, there were a total of 9 investment and financing events in the blockchain industry, with Cionbase, NGC, Distributed Capital, and CMS Holdings all participating, mainly focusing on trading platforms and other areas.
1. Biceconomy Secures $1.5 Million Seed Funding
On January 11, blockchain development tool provider Biceconomy announced that it has secured $1.5 million in seed funding led by European venture capital group Eden Block, with 8 other institutions participating, including Distributed Capital, Binance, and asset management firm DACM.
The seed round funds will be used to develop tools that reduce friction costs for users interacting with blockchain applications, hire new employees, and initiate the iteration of platform version V2. Additionally, Biconomy is set to launch a developer program supporting Web3 projects.
2. Singapore Digital Asset Exchange Zipmex Completes $6 Million Financing, Led by Jump Capital
On January 12, Singapore's digital asset exchange Zipmex completed $6 million in financing led by U.S. venture capital firm Jump Capital, exceeding its initial target of $4 million.
Zipmex is a digital asset exchange regulated in Singapore, Australia, and Indonesia, and licensed in Thailand. Regulatory compliance is a point of pride for the exchange. Since its establishment in 2019, Zipmex has undergone two rounds of financing, including a $3 million Series A round in September 2019 and a $1.9 million seed round in January 2019. To date, the platform has surpassed $650 million in total trading volume since its launch.

3. Decentralized Storage Network Filestar Receives $5 Million from HashKey Capital

On January 12, the Web 3.0 decentralized storage and infrastructure network Filestar received a $5 million grant from HashKey Capital, which will be used to fund the daily operations of the project's management foundation. Filestar aims to improve the decentralized network Filecoin and its distributed storage mechanism by eliminating initial collateral requirements.
4. Indian Crypto Trading Platform CoinSwitch Kuber Secures $15 Million Series A Funding, Led by Paradigm
On January 13, Indian cryptocurrency trading platform CoinSwitch Kuber announced it has secured $15 million in Series A funding, led by Paradigm and Ribbit Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital India.
In recent months, financing in India's cryptocurrency sector has become more active. In December 2020, cryptocurrency trading platform CoinDCX raised $13.9 million in Series B funding. Recently, cryptocurrency trading platform Unocoin also secured $3.5 million in Series A funding.
5. Crypto Asset Management Firm Arca Completes $10 Million Series A Funding, Led by RRE Ventures
On January 14, Arca announced the completion of a $10 million Series A funding round led by RRE Ventures, with participation from Loews Hotels President Alex Tisch and a financial alliance led by private equity firm Littlebanc Advisors. Meanwhile, James Robinson, founder and general partner of RRE Ventures, will join Arca's advisory board. Arca stated that it will prioritize using the funds to create necessary infrastructure and enhance the investor experience.
Founded in 2018, Arca has two core business divisions: Arca Funds and Arca Labs, with Arca Funds' flagship hedge fund strategy, Arca Digital Assets Fund, investing in securities through tokens, stocks, bonds, and other instruments issued by digital asset companies; the innovation division Arca Labs is responsible for developing innovative digital asset products.
6. Crypto Exchange OSL's Operating Entity Raises $90 Million Through Stock Sale
On January 14, BC Group, the Hong Kong-listed company operating the cryptocurrency exchange OSL, completed a new stock issuance. The group disclosed on Wednesday that it issued 45 million new shares at a price of HKD 15.5, totaling HKD 697 million, approximately $90 million. Subsequently, Fidelity disclosed its participation in this financing, increasing its stake to 6.29% with an investment of $6.71 million.
OSL is a digital asset platform that provides various services for institutions interested in crypto assets.
The platform offers software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools for interfacing with digital assets, over-the-counter (OTC) brokerage services for large clients, custody services, and institutional digital asset exchanges; BC Group operates two main services: OSL, an institution-focused digital asset platform, and Branding China, a public relations and marketing agency.
7. Security Token Issuance and Trading Platform Prometheum Completes Over $15 Million New Round of Financing
On January 15, U.S.-compliant security token issuance and trading platform Prometheum announced that it has completed over $15 million in a new round of financing. This round was led by international investors, bringing Prometheum's total financing to over $27 million.
Prometheum is a fully compliant platform for security token issuance, trading, clearing, and settlement in the U.S., established by a team of experts from Wall Street. Chain News previously reported that in December 2018, Prometheum received a $12 million investment from crypto asset investment firm HashKey and reached a strategic cooperation agreement with Wanxiang Blockchain Lab.
8. Rain Financial Secures $6 Million Series A Funding, Led by Middle Eastern VC MEVP
On January 17, trading platform Rain Financial announced it has secured $6 million in Series A funding, led by the top Middle Eastern VC MEVP, with participation from Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT Digital, Abdul Latif Jameel Fintech Ventures, and DIFC.
Rain Financial is a cryptocurrency trading and custody platform focused on the Middle Eastern market, founded by four entrepreneurs in 2017. In 2019, its Bahrain subsidiary Rain Management W.L.L. obtained a Category 3 crypto asset service provider license from the Central Bank of Bahrain, becoming the first licensed crypto asset platform in the Middle East.
9. Polkadot Ecosystem Oracle OptionRoom Secures $200,000 Seed Round Funding, Led by NGC
On January 17, Polkadot ecosystem oracle and prediction protocol OptionRoom announced the completion of a $200,000 seed round funding, led by NGC Ventures, with follow-on investments from CMS Holdings, Spark Digital, Paka Fund, PNYX Ventures, and NetZero Capital.
OptionRoom aims to provide community-governed oracle as a service (OaaS), allowing users to create and participate in event derivatives linked to real-world outcomes through governance consensus. OptionRoom adopts a dual-token model: ROOM as its utility token and COURT as the governance token of the protocol.