@RapydGlobal joined Funders' portfolio 💼 Funders.vc participated in Rapyd’s Series F round alongside @TargetGlobalVC, @BlackRock, @generalcatalyst, @Fidelity and other leading investors. Why we backed Rapyd: ▫️ World-class team with proven fintech scaling experience ▫️ Concrete unit economics tailor-made for the business model ▫️ Product is a category-defining global payments stack Rapyd is setting a new standard for the global finance stack. And it's a true pleasure to be a part of their journey.

Funders is happy to announce our investment in Plexo Today, opening a new cross-border payment corridor often means finding the right local counterparties, repeating due diligence, negotiating commercial terms, and coordinating work across disconnected systems. Each new relationship adds operational complexity, making expansion slow and difficult to scale. @PlexoNetwork is building a neutral network for licensed financial institutions using stablecoins for cross-border payments. Its platform helps institutions discover counterparties that match their corridor needs, exchange compliance documentation, and establish working relationships. Through a shared platform, institutions can coordinate approvals, commercial terms, and transaction records, while retaining control over their own counterparty decisions and settlement. The goal is to make opening and managing these relationships more repeatable as institutions expand into new markets. For us, @PlexoNetwork is a strong example of a real market gap met with a practical solution. We see demand for this infrastructure firsthand: through the companies we evaluate for investment, our existing portfolio, and conversations across our network. As stablecoin payment activity grows, institutions need practical ways to find and work with partners across borders. And of course, it wasn’t just the idea that convinced us, but the team behind it. The team has deep experience in cross-border payment corridors and high-load infrastructure, with a strong understanding of both the operational challenges and the technical requirements behind them. At Funders, we invest strategically. We look at both the standalone potential of a company and the opportunities it creates across our ecosystem. Plexo fits naturally into our fintech thesis, with strong potential for collaboration with companies in our existing portfolio and pipeline. Welcome to the Funders Family!

Payments remain the largest segment of fintech investment. In H1 2026, payments attracted $44.2B. But the more important part is where investor interest is shifting. Capital is moving more toward scalable infrastructure, rather than early speculative products. B2B payments, FX, treasury, and vertical payment solutions stand out in this shift. The value in payments is no longer created only at the payment rail level. More value is being built around it: cash flow management, receivables, and industry-specific workflows. Payments are gradually becoming more than a way to move a transaction. They are turning into an infrastructure layer for managing business financial operations.

After Denis’ trip to Astana Finance Days Conference, we wanted to capture a few observations on Kazakhstan as a business and investment ecosystem. Astana Finance Days 2026 Even though the event was perfectly organized, for Funders the trip was less about just networking and catchups with existing partners, but an opportunity to look at the market through in-person meetings and conversations with local entrepreneurs, operators, and institutional players. What really struck us was the level of dialogue and how institutional this conference was: the quality of c-lvl speakers, the strength of the network, and the focus on strategic questions for the region. The discussions touched on how the market could develop, what infrastructure is needed, how capital can be attracted, and what role Kazakhstan can play in Central Asia and Globally. Kazakhstan is unique because it combines several business logics at the same time. The country is becoming more transparent for international investors through formal rules, legal frameworks, financial infrastructure, and ecosystem institutions. At the same time, like in many other Central Asian countries, the market remains relationship-driven. Trust, local context, partnerships, and long-term presence matter a lot. That is why Kazakhstan is difficult to assess only through general market reports or macro data. To understand the market, you need in-person conversations with people who are building companies, managing processes, and making decisions locally. For us, this is one of the markets worth following closely.

Our pitch competition is coming to Singapore in collaboration with @Arbitrum! Take the stage and pitch your startup to investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders. 🏆 $100,000+ in startup benefits 🎤 10 selected teams 📍 October 7, during TOKEN2049 Apply to pitch 👇 luma.com/clqsn9rk

Latest Artemis data shows several stablecoin supply metrics reaching new all-time highs. New supply highs $BUIDL on Solana : $992.89M robinhood:0x5fc5360d0400a0fd4f2af552add042d716f1d168 on Robinhood chain : $726.48M robinhood:0x5d3a1ff2b6bab83b63cd9ad0787074081a52ef34 on Robinhood chain : $327.59M $BENJI on Base : $69.67M $PATHUSD on Tempo : $37.80M This time, Robinhood chain stands out. robinhood:0x5fc5360d0400a0fd4f2af552add042d716f1d168 and robinhood:0x5d3a1ff2b6bab83b63cd9ad0787074081a52ef34 both reached new all-time highs in supply on the network.

Congrats to the Solana ecosystem 🧐 Great to see the momentum coming back and activity picking up again.

After our trip to Riyadh and participation in @LEAPandInnovate, we wanted to capture a few observations on how Saudi Arabia is developing as a tech and investment ecosystem. One of the main takeaways is that Vision 2030 no longer looks only like an economic diversification program. It is a strategy to turn Saudi Arabia into a global hub for technology, capital, talent and innovation. What matters is that this ambition is being consistently supported by real infrastructure, institutions and investment. AI is one of the clearest national priorities. Saudi Arabia is building across the full AI stack, from national champions such as Humain and Arabic AI models to the infrastructure required to power them. Data centers are an important part of this strategy. In AI, compute and energy are becoming the equivalent of shovels in a gold rush. Saudi Arabia has a clear energy advantage and is positioning itself as one of the major future hubs for AI infrastructure. Saudi Arabia is also making it easier for startups to enter the market. Accelerators, venture builders and ecosystem programs can help companies with incorporation, legal setup, office space, market entry, GTM and access to first customers. The direction is clear. Reduce friction and make Saudi Arabia an attractive base for growth. @PIF_en creates a different ecosystem effect. It is not only a source of capital, but also an anchor around which industries, global partners and private-sector ecosystems can form. It also creates opportunities for investors to build alongside PIF and its portfolio companies. For startups, the right local investor or fund relationship can open doors to customers, partners, capital and a larger regional market. What impressed us most is the pace of change. Saudi Arabia is attracting tier-one global events, companies, investors and talent, from entertainment and @F1 to @LEAPandInnovate and @money2020. The ecosystem is still developing, which makes it especially interesting from an investment perspective. A lot is being built in the region right now, and this may be the stage where future market leaders are formed.

Our September and October event roadmap is now on the calendar. @LEAPandInnovate in Riyadh has already opened the season for Funders VC, and the next stops are ahead. Over the next two months, the team will continue moving across key markets and meeting people building and backing new tech markets. Plans can shift, dates can move, but we are looking forward to more in-person conversations this fall. To set up a meeting, DM us.

According to @artemis, stablecoin activity is reaching new all-time highs across several networks. New supply highs ethereum:0x8292bb45bf1ee4d140127049757c2e0ff06317ed : $2.41B $USD on Provenance : $1.74B solana:2u1tszSeqZ3qBWF3uNGPFc8TzMk2tdiwknnRMWGWjGWH on Solana : $1.37B solana:USD1ttGY1N17NEEHLmELoaybftRBUSErhqYiQzvEmuB on Solana : $1.27B $USDF on Ton : $310.75M $SOFD on Solana : $225.67M Most of these updates are about supply growth. There is also a separate usage signal: $USDC on @solana. Daily stablecoin transactions hit a new all-time high of 15.28M.

Great to see @syntropia_ai crossing $8M+ TVL Congrats to the team on the strong progress, glad to support you as you keep building. Still just the beginning 🤝

The more interesting part of fintech M&A is not the total volume, but how buyers are behaving. Median M&A deal size has moved sharply higher, while cross-border activity looks more careful compared with last year. That usually means fewer casual acquisitions and more pressure on the reason behind each deal. Buyers are looking for assets that can add scale, product depth, infrastructure, or access to another market. This also fits the H2 themes @KPMG highlights: payments consolidation, infrastructure, AI, agentic commerce, and sovereign financial capabilities. Fintech is still active, but deals now need a clearer strategic reason behind them.

Glad to join the session for the Starknet Foundation cohort and share our perspective on liquidity and liquid strategies. For DeFi teams, liquidity is not only about attracting capital. It is also about keeping it, using it well, and building around sustainable risk-adjusted returns. Thanks to the @StarknetFndn team and @cicada_mm for the discussion.

Funders VC is back at @LEAPandInnovate in Riyadh. This is not our first time here, and every year the event manages to surprise us again. The scale feels even bigger this time. The venue is packed, the energy is high, and you can feel how much attention the region is putting into technology, infrastructure, and the next stage of digital growth. Robotics also stands out this year. More robots on the floor, more conversations around automation, and a stronger feeling that physical tech is becoming a bigger part of the agenda. Glad to be back at @LEAPandInnovate and to see how fast the event keeps growing.

The last weekend of summer 2026 is behind us. A good moment for the team to slow down for a day, reset, and get ready for a busy September. Ahead of us are new meetings, portfolio work, events, and more conversations with founders and partners. Summer was good. Now back to full speed 👏

The Funders VC team is starting the fall event season with @LEAPandInnovate in Riyadh. Our Investment Managers, Konstantin and Felix, will be there from August 31 to September 3. For us, LEAP is a strong starting point for the next few months of ecosystem activity across MENA, Asia, Europe, and the US. This fall, the team will be looking at several directions across fintech, digital assets, AI infrastructure, and robotics. We are always glad to connect with founders, funds, operators, and ecosystem partners. See you in Riyadh.

As of August 23, crypto ETF flows are positive again after a weaker summer period. Latest ETF flows bitcoin:native ETFs : $1.9B ethereum:native ETFs : $692.6M hyperliquid:native ETFs : $3.8M Current ETF AUM bitcoin:native ETFs : $97.4B ethereum:native ETFs : $13.8B $XRP ETFs : $1.4B $SOL ETFs : $851.6M hyperliquid:native ETFs : $394.0M The latest flows show capital returning through crypto ETF products, with bitcoin:native and ethereum:native still accounting for most of the move. For now, this looks less like a broad market rotation and more like a return of capital into the largest and most liquid ETF categories.