The digital asset landscape just witnessed a seismic shift as zerohash, a leading crypto and stablecoin infrastructure platform, announced a groundbreaking $104 million Series D-2 funding round. This pivotal investment, spearheaded by Interactive Brokers, propels zerohash’s valuation to an impressive $1 billion, officially granting it “unicorn status.” This significant capital infusion not only solidifies zerohash’s position at the forefront of the on-chain revolution but also signals a definitive embrace of digital assets by some of the world’s most prominent financial institutions, including first-time crypto investors like Morgan Stanley, SoFi, and Apollo-managed funds. For enterprises navigating the complexities of integrating digital currencies, zerohash offers the essential technological backbone to unlock new possibilities.
zerohash Achieves Unicorn Status with Landmark Institutional Backing
On September 23, 2025, zerohash confirmed its latest capital raise, bringing its total funding to a remarkable $275 million. This substantial investment round was led by Interactive Brokers, a globally recognized brokerage firm known for its commitment to broad market access. The syndicate of new investors reads like a who’s who of global finance: Morgan Stanley, SoFi, Apollo-managed funds, Jump Crypto, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, FTMO, IMC, and Liberty City Ventures. Stalwart existing investors like PEAK6, tastytrade, and Nyca Partners also reiterated their confidence with follow-on participation. Notably, this round marks the inaugural crypto and stablecoin investments for many of these marquee institutions, underscoring a critical shift in mainstream financial strategy.
This $104 million boost will fuel zerohash’s aggressive product expansion plans, support its burgeoning talent base, and further entrench its role as the premier enabler of on-chain innovation for top-tier financial institutions worldwide. The company’s rapid ascent, with its valuation soaring 188% from its 2022 Series D of $340 million, highlights the burgeoning market demand for robust, regulatory-compliant digital asset infrastructure.
Powering the Next Generation of Financial Services
Since its inception in 2017, zerohash has meticulously built what its founder and CEO, Edward Woodford, refers to as “the AWS of on-chain infrastructure.” This vision positions zerohash as the foundational layer enabling any business to seamlessly integrate crypto, stablecoin, and tokenization solutions for their customers. As one of the longest-standing players in the U.S. digital asset space, zerohash offers a proven track record of supporting innovation and scale.
The platform provides a comprehensive suite of APIs and an embeddable dev-kit, empowering innovators to rapidly launch diverse solutions. These span critical areas such as trading, cross-border payments, commerce, remittance, payroll, and sophisticated tokenization services. This “crypto-as-a-service” model significantly lowers the barrier to entry for both burgeoning fintechs and traditional finance giants, allowing them to offer digital asset capabilities without developing complex proprietary infrastructure. zerohash has already demonstrated immense scale, supporting over 5 million users across 190 countries. Its impressive client roster includes industry leaders like Interactive Brokers, Stripe, Shift4, Blackrock’s BUIDL Fund, Franklin Templeton, DraftKings, Kalshi, Lightspark, Tastytrade, and Republic, illustrating its widespread impact across various sectors.
Institutional Validation: Why Big Finance is Betting Big
The timing of this significant funding round is no coincidence. It aligns perfectly with an escalating demand for enterprise-grade on-chain infrastructure, driven by a surge in consumer adoption and increasing regulatory clarity across key markets like the United States and the European Union. Edward Woodford succinctly states, “Crypto, stablecoins and tokenization aren’t coming – it’s here – and zerohash is the engine behind the scenes.”
The institutional commitment to zerohash speaks volumes. Milan Galik, CEO of Interactive Brokers, highlighted zerohash’s pivotal role in enabling their confident expansion into digital assets, praising its “regulatory-first approach and proven scalability.” Anthony Noto, CEO of SoFi, declared blockchain a “technology super cycle” set to transform financial services, making money interaction faster, cheaper, and easier. He expressed SoFi’s pleasure in supporting zerohash’s growth to accelerate mainstream adoption.
Perhaps most tellingly, Morgan Stanley’s participation extends beyond a mere investment. Its online brokerage arm, ETrade, is set to launch direct digital asset trading, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, in the first half of 2026. This move, leveraging zerohash’s infrastructure, underscores a deepening commitment from a $1.3 trillion financial giant to integrate crypto assets into its core offerings. This strategic decision aligns with broader market trends where financial service executives are dedicating substantial time—often over 50%—to driving on-chain innovation within their firms, largely powered by foundational technologies like zerohash. Adam Berg, zerohash’s CFO, confirmed this intense institutional focus, noting that zerohash provides the essential backbone for these initiatives.
Embracing Regulatory Clarity and Global Expansion
The current regulatory climate plays a crucial role in spurring this institutional interest. Industry leaders suggest that regulatory obstacles have eased significantly, particularly under the implied pro-crypto stance of the current U.S. administration. This shift has encouraged innovation and investment, prompting major banks to consider crypto services for their customers, moving digital assets from a niche offering to rapid integration within the broader financial market.
zerohash’s success is also underpinned by its robust global regulatory footprint. The company operates regulated entities in the EU, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, and other key jurisdictions. In the United States, Zero Hash LLC functions as a FinCen-registered Money Service Business and a regulated Money Transmitter, authorized in all 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Further cementing its compliance-first approach, Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC are licensed by the New York State Department of Financial Services for virtual currency business activity, while Zero Hash Trust Company LLC is chartered by the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks as a non-depository trust company. This extensive regulatory framework makes zerohash a trusted partner for enterprises navigating the evolving digital asset landscape.
The capital will also support zerohash’s international growth ambitions, particularly in regions demonstrating lighter regulatory oversight and greater receptivity to crypto. The company’s focus on compliance, combined with its innovative capacity—including exploring AI-driven risk management tools and training AI models on decentralized clusters—positions it as a pivotal force in the future of financial technology. With approximately 200 employees across offices in New York, Chicago, North Carolina, and Amsterdam, zerohash is well-equipped to scale its operations and further its mission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does zerohash’s “unicorn status” signify for the crypto industry?
zerohash achieving “unicorn status,” valued at $1 billion, is a powerful signal of institutional confidence in the underlying infrastructure of the digital asset economy. It signifies that major financial players are no longer just observing but actively investing in and integrating crypto, stablecoin, and tokenization technologies. This validation suggests a maturation of the industry, moving beyond speculative trading to recognizing the foundational importance of compliant, scalable platforms like zerohash for mainstream adoption.
Which financial services can institutions integrate using zerohash’s platform?
Financial institutions can leverage zerohash’s API and embeddable dev-kit to seamlessly integrate a wide array of digital asset solutions. These include comprehensive crypto trading capabilities, efficient cross-border payments, e-commerce solutions, remittance services, payroll processing with digital assets, and advanced tokenization frameworks. zerohash provides the necessary “backend plumbing” to offer these services, allowing traditional firms and fintechs to launch new products quickly and compliantly without extensive in-house development.
Why are major financial institutions like Morgan Stanley investing in crypto infrastructure firms like zerohash?
Major financial institutions are investing in companies like zerohash due to a confluence of factors: surging client demand for digital asset access, a more favorable and clear regulatory environment, and the recognition that blockchain technology is a “super cycle” poised to reshape finance. Investing in infrastructure providers like zerohash allows these institutions to integrate digital assets into their existing platforms with reduced risk and complexity, leveraging proven, compliant solutions rather than building from scratch. This strategic pivot enables them to offer services like direct crypto trading (as seen with Morgan Stanley’s ETrade plans) and explore new opportunities in stablecoins and tokenized assets, maintaining a competitive edge in an evolving market.
The Future is On-Chain
The latest funding round for zerohash is more than just a financial milestone; it’s a profound statement about the future of finance. With unprecedented institutional backing, a clear vision to be the “AWS of on-chain infrastructure,” and a robust, regulatory-compliant platform, zerohash is actively dismantling the barriers between traditional finance and the burgeoning digital asset economy. As more enterprises seek to unlock the potential of crypto, stablecoins, and tokenization, zerohash stands ready as the crucial engine powering this transformative era, setting the stage for trillions in transactional volume and redefining financial services for years to come.
