This week, the crypto and DeFi market witnessed a strong surge in investment capital, despite increasing macroeconomic instability surrounding trade tensions from President Donald Trump. According to data from DefiLlama, the total amount of capital raised has reached 449 million USD, up 62% compared to the previous week – an astonishing figure amidst a volatile global market.
The highlights of this funding round come from names like Auradine and ZenMEV, along with a noteworthy appearance from a DeFi project thought to be linked to the Trump family – World Liberty Financial.
Auradine raises 153 million USD: Betting on the intersection of Bitcoin and AI
The largest funding round this week belongs to Auradine, a blockchain and artificial intelligence infrastructure startup, with a Series C round worth 153 million USD. This round was led by StepStone Group, with participation from giants like Samsung Catalyst Fund, Qualcomm Ventures, Maverick Silicon, and Mara Holdings.
#Auradine founded in 2022, is developing integrated products between blockchain and AI including semiconductor chips, security software, and network infrastructure. CEO Rajiv Khemani asserts:
'Focusing simultaneously on Bitcoin and AI will place us at the center of two technological trends that have the potential to reshape the computing and energy use industries for decades to come.'
This indicates a new wave is emerging: the convergence between blockchain and AI – two technologies that were once viewed as parallel but are now gradually combining to create next-generation products.
ZenMEV receives 140 million USD from VentureX: Redefining the 'dark corner' of DeFi
Coming in second in size is ZenMEV with 140 million USD, and notably has only one investor: VentureX, a renowned investment fund that has supported Uniswap, Ethereum, Solana, and Chainlink.
#ZenMEV focuses on a sensitive area in DeFi: Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) – a technique using bots to reorder transactions on the blockchain to profit from users.
However, instead of viewing MEV as a risk to be eliminated, ZenMEV wants to turn it into a new source of income for users through the ZenBots Shield tool, using AI to analyze transactions and optimize profits from MEV.
CEO Valen Marcus shares:
'We are redefining MEV not as a threat, but as an opportunity for profit for the community.'
This may be a sign of a more mature phase in DeFi, where sophisticated tools are applied to transparently and optimally extract value.
World Liberty Financial – The 'Trump-inspired' project raises 25 million USD
One of the most controversial names this week is World Liberty Financial (#WLFI ) – a project described as 'inspired by President Donald J. Trump.'
This project received 25 million USD in investment from DWF Labs, a well-known crypto market maker, through the purchase of WLFI tokens. This investment also marks DWF Labs establishing an office in the US, specifically in New York – a strategic move to access the world's largest digital asset market.
World Liberty Financial is currently managing nearly 100 million USD in crypto assets, but the nature of its operations and the transparency of the project remain significant questions for the community.
Meanwhile – Life insurance on the Bitcoin platform raises 40 million USD
While the above projects focus on infrastructure and trading, Meanwhile has chosen a very different path: combining life insurance and Bitcoin.
This project aims to become the first insurance company 'priced in BTC', offering a new approach for those looking to protect long-term finances with crypto. In the 40 million USD Series A round, investors like Framework Ventures, fulgur.ventures, and veteran investor Wences Casares participated.
In its message, Meanwhile asserts:
'Life insurance is an essential part of long-term financial planning, but it has never been integrated with a crucial component of the modern financial system – crypto.'
The overall perspective and impact on the crypto market
In total, 449 million USD has been poured into the crypto and DeFi market in just one week – raising the total raised value from the beginning of the year to 113.4 billion USD, according to statistics from DefiLlama.
Notably, this capital influx comes at a time when the market is facing significant political and trade instability from President Trump's administration, particularly concerning tensions related to the new trade war.
Nevertheless, investors seem to still have strong faith in the long-term development of blockchain technology and digital assets, especially in areas combining crypto with AI, insurance, and even... politics.
Connecting with crypto users and the Binance exchange
With new trends like ZenMEV and Meanwhile, users on major exchanges like Binance can expect more innovative and efficient DeFi products, or even new staking and yield farming opportunities if these projects launch on the BNB Chain or integrate with Binance Launchpool/Launchpad in the future.
However, caution is needed with projects that have political elements or lack transparency, such as World Liberty Financial – as Binance Square does not allow the promotion of content related to war, politics, or financial misrepresentation.
Risk Warning
Investing in crypto always carries high risks. Projects that receive millions of USD in funding can still fail or experience significant volatility. Users should research thoroughly, avoid FOMO, and only invest within their risk tolerance. The crypto market is not for everyone and requires a reasonable financial management strategy.