Digital Asset, the company behind the Canton Network, just closed a $355 million funding round to build what it calls the blockchain layer for institutional finance. The raise was led by a16z crypto and backed by a roster of investors that includes the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Apollo Funds, and Citadel Securities.

The Canton Network now supports over $6 trillion in on-chain assets across more than 600 participating institutions.

The money trail tells a story

This $355 million raise didn’t come out of nowhere. Digital Asset pulled in $135 million in June 2025, then followed up with a $50 million strategic investment in December 2025.

What makes Canton different

Canton positions itself as the only public Layer-1 blockchain with configurable institutional-grade privacy and compliance features. It’s a blockchain where institutions can transact with the transparency regulators demand while keeping sensitive deal information private from competitors.

The network already handles real use cases that traditional finance cares about, including tokenized repo trading and collateral mobility.

Canton’s native utility token, CC, has no pre-mine and no founder allocations. Network fees are payable in CC.

The CC token saw a favorable price reaction following the funding announcement.

What this means for investors

Canton’s $6 trillion in on-chain assets and 600-plus institutional participants give it a meaningful head start in the race to become the default settlement layer for tokenized real-world assets.

What makes this round significant is the investor composition. Having a16z crypto, a sovereign wealth fund, and major Wall Street players all aligned on the same thesis creates a powerful feedback loop. A16z brings crypto-native credibility and technical due diligence. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority brings sovereign-scale capital and legitimacy. Citadel Securities brings the market-making expertise and connectivity that Canton will need to actually process institutional-scale volumes.