Galaxy Digital, IOSG Lead $4.3M Funding Round for 'DeFi Bridge' Centrifuge

Centrifuge, a blockchain startup focused on bringing real-world assets to decentralized finance (DeFi), has raised millions from big-name investors.

According to a press release provided to CoinDesk Tuesday, Centrifuge has secured $4.3 million to further grow its business through a "safe agreement for future tokens" (SAFT) round that kicked off late last year. Now leading the round are asset manager Galaxy Digital and IOSG Ventures, with Rockaway Capital, Fintech Collective, Moonwhale Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, TRGC and HashCIB also newly participating.

In a SAFT round, a company sells rights to future tokens that won't be issued until a key target is reached, such as the issuing platform going live.

The startup has set out to construct a bridge between real-world assets and DeFi via its asset tokenization process known as Tinlake – a business the company says can attract "trillions of value" from traditional finance.

See also: How to Bring Off-Chain Assets to DeFi – Ajit Tripathi

Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) representing a value on-chain of something tangible in the real world, such as an invoice, can be bundled and sold to investors, the firm believes. The process occurs through the use of smart contracts based on the ERC-/EIP-721 Ethereum NFT standard.

"Centrifuge is the on-ramp for the real economy to tap into DeFi liquidity," said Will Nuelle at Galaxy Digital. "Securitization and warehousing of debt happens in a single block, lowering the cost of capital for borrowers."