DeFi risk management and blockchain infrastructure firm Gauntlet has raised $125 million in a Series C funding round led by Japan-based financial services group SBI Holdings, marking the comp
DeFi risk management and blockchain infrastructure firm Gauntlet has raised $125 million in a Series C funding round led by Japan-based financial services group SBI Holdings, marking the company’s largest financing since it was founded in 2018.
The SBI Holdings investment was completed in June, according to company announcement. Financial terms beyond the funding amount, including Gauntlet’s latest valuation. The company previously raised nearly $24 million in a Series B round in 2022, led by Ribbit Capital, at a reported valuation of approximately $1 billion.
The latest financing comes as institutional investors continue directing capital toward infrastructure companies that support decentralized finance rather than consumer-facing cryptocurrency products. Risk management, tokenized assets, and regulated stablecoin services have become areas of increasing focus as banks and asset managers expand blockchain initiatives.
Gauntlet announced the completion of a $125 million Series C funding round backed by SBI Holdings. The investment will fund expansion into traditional capital markets, increase stablecoin support, and accelerate the rollout of new onchain offerings for institutional clients.We’ve closed a $125M Series C led by SBI Holdings.
The capital will support building our infrastructure across traditional capital markets, expanding stablecoin coverage, and accelerating new onchain offerings.
As institutions move onchain, we’re providing the quantitative…
— Gauntlet (@gauntlet_xyz) July 9, 2026
Gauntlet said the new capital will be used to expand infrastructure supporting institutional participation in on-chain financial markets.
The company plans to focus on several areas, including:
Gauntlet currently provides risk modeling and capital optimization services for decentralized finance protocols, fintech firms, stablecoin issuers, and institutional investors. According to the company, its vault ecosystem manages more than $1.5 billion in supplied assets.
Founded by former quantitative researcher Tarun Chitra, Gauntlet originally specialized in economic modeling and stress testing for decentralized finance protocols, helping developers evaluate risks related to lending markets and digital asset liquidity.
As institutional participation in digital assets has grown, the company has expanded into yield infrastructure, developing quantitative strategies that help allocate capital across DeFi lending and liquidity markets while monitoring portfolio risk.
That shift reflects broader changes within decentralized finance, where institutional investors increasingly favor professionally managed investment infrastructure over governance-driven treasury management models that were more common during DeFi’s earlier growth phase.
Gauntlet’s clients include organizations such as Apollo, Coinbase, and Circle, illustrating the growing demand for institutional-grade risk management tools within blockchain-based financial markets.
Since its launch in 2018, Gauntlet has completed several funding rounds backed by leading crypto and venture capital firms, reflecting growing investor confidence in its institutional blockchain infrastructure business.
The transaction also adds to SBI Holdings’ expanding portfolio of digital asset investments. The Tokyo-listed financial group has invested in several blockchain and crypto companies over recent years, including Ripple, Circle, and decentralized lending protocol Morpho. SBI has also outlined plans to introduce an SBI Holdings stablecoin, a yen-denominated digital asset, and expand digital asset investment products as regulatory frameworks continue to develop in Japan and other markets.
The investment aligns with a broader trend of traditional financial institutions increasing exposure to blockchain infrastructure while regulatory clarity improves across major jurisdictions. The move also comes as SBI to Acquire Bitbank has further highlighted the company’s expanding commitment to digital asset infrastructure and the broader crypto ecosystem.
Gauntlet’s funding comes during a period of selective venture investment across the cryptocurrency industry. Although overall crypto venture activity remains below the highs recorded during the previous market cycle, companies developing infrastructure for institutional adoption continue attracting significant capital.
Market participants have increasingly shifted their attention toward businesses supporting tokenization, stablecoin issuance, custody, compliance, settlement, and risk management as financial institutions explore blockchain-based services.
The funding is expected to strengthen Gauntlet’s position within that segment as institutions seek technology providers capable of supporting larger volumes of on-chain capital while managing financial and operational risks across decentralized markets.
