Crypto venture financing: ZeroStack raises $1 billion, Ripple raises $275 million

Weekly Report on Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Financing August 16 - 22, 2026

During the period from August 16 to 22, 2026, cryptocurrency and blockchain companies raised a total of approximately US$1.298 billion through six publicly disclosed transactions. Among them, ZeroStack accounted for the largest share with a $1 billion non-cash token contribution, while Ripple Prime completed $275 million in financing through debt issuance.

Overview of the Week

During the reporting period, six publicly disclosed transactions generated a total of approximately US$1.298 billion in financing. ZeroStack received $1 billion worth of MemeCore tokens through an equity-based deal. Ripple Prime raised $275 million from institutional investors by issuing senior unsecured notes. NeoSoul received $11 million to develop artificial intelligence-based trading agents and related infrastructure. The remaining microfinance rounds support projects such as privacy protection, DeFi credit commissions and decentralized artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The remaining publicly disclosed financing rounds raised approximately US$23 million and involved areas such as artificial intelligence transactions, privacy infrastructure, decentralized lending and physical infrastructure networks. There was also an undisclosed strategic investment that was not included in this week's total.

ZeroStack receives US$1 billion in MemeCore token contribution

Nasdaq-listed ZeroStack agreed to receive $1 billion worth of MemeCore tokens from two entities associated with MemeCore, Puple AI and Blockcat. The transaction involved approximately 925.9 million M tokens rather than cash investments. In exchange, ZeroStack will issue 3.5 million ordinary shares and pre-financing warrants covering up to 36.2 million additional shares. The securities are priced at $25.19 per share, more than 12 times the price of ZeroStack's recent trading price at the time the deal was announced.

Under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the exercise of warrants still requires shareholder approval. Shares issued under the arrangement will also have a lock-up period of up to 10 years, the company said. As part of the agreement, MemeCore head Rudy Rong is expected to become president of ZeroStack. The company said the deal will expand its digital asset treasury strategy, although the claimed $1 billion value depends on the specified price of the contributed tokens.

This contribution is fully included in the total financing publicly disclosed this week. However, since ZeroStack receives tokens rather than new operating cash, it should be distinguished from traditional financing.

Ripple Prime raises $275 million through senior notes

Ripple Prime raised $275 million through private placement of additional senior unsecured notes to institutional investors. Ripple did not disclose the interest rate, maturity date or participating investor information on the notes. The company said the proceeds will be used to support the expansion of its prime brokerage business in the United States, including financing, clearing and other services covering digital and traditional assets.

Ripple built the business unit through the $1.25 billion acquisition of Hidden Road. The division now provides services to institutional clients covering cryptocurrency, foreign exchange, derivatives, swaps and fixed income markets. Prior to the issuance of the notes, Ripple Prime received a $200 million credit line in May from a fund managed by Neuberger Berman. The two financings together provided US$475 million in additional funding for the brokerage business, but the credit line did not fall within the current reporting period.

The $275 million deal is a debt financing rather than a venture capital round. Because it represents a newly announced financing from a company focused on cryptocurrencies, it was included in this week's total.

NeoSoul raises US$11 million for artificial intelligence trading infrastructure

NeoSoul has completed an US$11 million Pre-A round of financing with investors including MH Ventures, Amber Group, ArkStream Capital, 0G Foundation, Kirin Capital, CatcherVC and New Oak International. The company did not disclose the lead investor or valuation information. NeoSoul plans to use the funds to develop NeoTrade, an AI-based trading platform that allows users to configure agents that can analyze markets and execute transactions under limited control.

The company also plans to improve its trading infrastructure and expand its influence in Southeast Asia and other international markets. NeoSoul operates in the BNB Chain and 0G ecosystems, connecting autonomous software agents with blockchain-based financial activities. This round of financing is the largest publicly disclosed early-stage cash investment this week and continues investor interest in products that combine artificial intelligence with cryptocurrency trading and on-chain execution.

Financing projects under $10 million

Privacy blockchain developer Beldex raised $8 million in a round of financing led by Sigma Capital. NTC, Nxgen, Digital Consensus Fund and EAK Ventures also participated in the investment, bringing the company's reported cumulative funding to $36 million. Beldex said the proceeds will be used for developer tools, protocol security, privacy applications, cryptographic artificial intelligence services and broader ecosystem development.

DeFi loan agreement Twyne received $2.5 million in seed funding in a round jointly led by Cyber Fund and Ethereal Ventures. Euler Labs, Daedalus and multiple individual investors participated in the investment. Twyne provides a credit entrustment layer that allows depositors in the lending market to transfer unused lending capacity to other users in exchange for additional income.

Botanika, a Solana-based infrastructure project, has completed a $1.5 million round of financing supported by CRIT Ventures, Baboon VC, Marlex, Daedalus and individual investors. The company is developing decentralized storage and computing infrastructure that connects physical hardware with on-chain ownership. Botanika positions its Nimbus hardware products as an entry point for data storage and artificial intelligence-related workloads.

Strategic Financing of Undisclosed Amount

Blueprint Finance has completed a round of strategic financing of undisclosed amount led by Polychain Capital. Bullish, Keyrock, BitGo, FalconX, G-20, Flowdesk, JPEG Trading, Sentient Capital, Andes and 2Square participated in the investment. Blueprint plans to expand its Concrete platform, an unmanaged vault infrastructure for agencies, protocols, asset management companies and other capital providers. The platform integrates transaction execution, accounting, rebalancing and risk control into a shared on-chain system. Since Blueprint did not disclose the amount of financing, the transaction was not included in the total amount of US$1.298 billion.