The total funding in the cryptocurrency ecosystem has now exceeded $100 billion, underscoring the massive investment pouring into the sector since its inception.
According to data provided by DefiLlama, crypto projects have raised a staggering $101.36 billion across 5,287 funding rounds since 2014.
A notable peak occurred in November 2021, a month that saw $7.079 billion in funding. This period coincided with a bull run in the crypto market. Since then, funding has recorded a drastic drop with a few instances of notable spikes — $3.6 billion in March 2022 and $3 billion in May 2022.
The largest single funding event involved EOS, which raised $4.2 billion in an initial coin offering (ICO) on Jun. 1, 2018. EOS, a blockchain platform for decentralized applications, set a precedent with this enormous fundraising effort. Interestingly, three more rounds have led to $1 billion in funding.
One such round involved the Luna Foundation Guard (LFG), which secured $1 billion on Feb. 23, 2022, through a strategic private sale. This funding was intended to back-stop the TerraUSD (UST) stablecoin, with prominent investors like 3AC, Jump Crypto, Tribe Capital, and GSR participating.
NYDIG, a company specializing in Bitcoin technology and financial services, also raised $1 billion on Dec. 14, 2021. This private equity round saw investment from WestCap, FinTech Collective, Bessemer Venture Partners, New York Life Insurance, and Affirm.
Another major player is Figure, which leverages blockchain for financial services. On May 10, 2019, Figure raised $1 billion through debt financing, with investors including Jefferies and WSFS Bank.
Meanwhile, this year’s monthly funding peak came up in March with $1.019 billion, coinciding with Bitcoin’s new all-time high above $73,000. Last week, 34 crypto entities raised over $109 million. However, monthly funding has decreased since the March peak amid the broader downward trend in the market.