Dfns, the leading wallet-as-a-service platform for crypto assets, has successfully closed a $16 million Series A, led by Further Ventures, the venture arm of Abu Dhabi’s largest sovereign wealth fund, ADQ. This round also saw participation from historic investors such as White Star Capital, Hashed, Semantic, Techstars, and Bpifrance, alongside new backers including Motive Partners, Wintermute, and Motier Ventures.
Our Institutional Focus Paid Off
Two years ago, Dfns made a strategic up-market move focusing mainly on institutional clients. The company’s vision has remained steadfast: institutional investors hold the key to driving crypto adoption as they have the lion’s share of the global liquidity. To appeal to them, Dfns prioritized uncompromising bank-grade security, aligning with standard traditional financial systems and leveraging state-of-the-art technology to surpass expectations. As crypto assets gain in value, the risks and scrutiny surrounding them grow. By positioning itself as the most secure blockchain wallet infrastructure, Dfns has become the infrastructure of choice for trusted institutions navigating crypto and shaping its future inside finance.
Dfns has a reputation for transparency, reliability and security, with trust-building initiatives: industry-leading certifications, regulatory licenses, robust insurance, independent audits, and partnerships with global leaders. Its hallmark clients include Fidelity, Bridge (Stripe), Zodia Custody (Standard Chartered), Tungsten Custody (ADQ), and 130+ fintechs worldwide.
Strategic Use of Funds
Following its $13 million seed round in 2022, this new Series A funding will enable Dfns to accelerate the distribution of its multichain wallet infrastructure in 2025. The focus will be on expanding adoption among banks, payment services, trading platforms, investment apps, tokenization projects, government and corporate treasuries, and fund administrators, with an emphasis on the EU, UK, UAE, and US markets.
“We have a clear plan,” said Clarisse Hagège, CEO of Dfns. “Crypto can be unpredictable, so we’ve learned to prioritize sustainable growth over rapid expansion. We’re not looking to scale our workforce aggressively; instead, we aim to grow from 25 to 35 employees by year-end, provided we meet our targets and the market remains stable. Our focus is to deliver world-class infrastructure for our fintech clients. They demand bank-grade security, smarter transaction management, direct integrations, and better user and developer experiences. This is what we do best, and it’s what we’ll keep delivering.”
