Digital Asset, the company behind the Canton Network blockchain, has secured an additional $10 million from South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group and SC Ventures, the innovation and ventures arm of Standard Chartered, expanding a recent funding round to $365 million while keeping the company’s valuation at $2 billion, according to a person familiar with the transaction.
The new capital adds to the $355 million round Digital Asset announced last month. That earlier raise was led by a U.S.-based venture fund and included participation from major financial, technology and digital asset firms, including ABN Amro, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Apollo Funds, BNP Paribas, Citadel Securities, CME Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Hanwha Investment & Securities, HSBC, S&P Global and SBI Group.
The extension is notable because it brings in two large financial institutions from different regions: Shinhan from South Korea and SC Ventures from the Standard Chartered group. Their participation broadens Digital Asset’s global backing at a time when banks, brokerages and market infrastructure firms are testing blockchain systems that can meet the legal, privacy and operational standards of regulated finance.
The funding also reinforces a growing theme in institutional blockchain development: large financial firms want the efficiency of tokenized assets and programmable settlement, but they do not want to expose sensitive transaction data on fully transparent public networks. Canton Network is designed to address that tension by allowing institutions to use blockchain-based workflows while preserving privacy, permissions and compliance controls.
Funding extension deepens global backing
The additional $10 million is relatively small compared with the full $365 million round, but the names attached to it carry strategic weight. Shinhan Financial Group is one of South Korea’s largest financial groups, with banking, cards, securities and insurance operations. Standard Chartered, through SC Ventures, has been active in financial technology and digital asset infrastructure projects across multiple markets.
For Digital Asset, the participation of these institutions gives the company deeper access to Asia and Europe, two regions where regulators and financial firms have been exploring tokenization, central bank digital currency pilots, blockchain settlement and digital bond issuance. South Korea, in particular, has shown strong interest in digital asset infrastructure, while Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and parts of Europe have become major testing grounds for tokenized finance.
The latest funding follows a previous round that already included several heavyweight names from traditional finance. ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, HSBC, S&P Global and CME Ventures represent established market infrastructure or banking interests, while Citadel Securities and Apollo Funds add links to trading and alternative asset management. The participation of firms connected to both traditional finance and digital asset markets suggests Digital Asset is positioning Canton as a bridge between two systems that have often developed separately.
The steady $2 billion valuation also stands out in a market where private financial technology valuations have faced pressure from higher interest rates, tighter financing conditions and more cautious capital allocation. Holding that valuation while expanding the round indicates that Digital Asset continues to attract strategic financial support because of the role its technology could play in institutional markets.
Why Canton matters to banks
Digital Asset, founded by Yuval Rooz, created the Canton Network as a public Layer 1 blockchain built for regulated financial markets. Unlike many public blockchains that emphasize total transparency, Canton is structured around privacy-preserving applications and controlled data sharing.
That design matters to banks and financial institutions because much of their activity cannot be openly visible to the entire market. Trade details, collateral movements, client instructions, settlement workflows and balance-sheet activity often involve confidential information. If those workflows are moved onto a public blockchain without strong privacy protections, firms may risk exposing proprietary data, client relationships or trading strategies.
Canton aims to solve that problem by allowing different parties to interact across applications without forcing all transaction details onto a public ledger visible to everyone. The network is intended to support tokenized assets, post-trade processing, collateral management, securities settlement and other financial workflows where institutions need both interoperability and confidentiality.
This is one reason private and permissioned blockchain experiments have continued across banking even as open crypto networks have grown. Many large institutions do not reject blockchain technology itself. Instead, they require systems that fit existing regulatory, audit and risk-management frameworks.
Digital Asset’s pitch is that Canton can give financial firms the benefits of blockchain infrastructure, such as shared workflows, faster settlement, programmable assets and reduced reconciliation, while still allowing firms to meet legal and compliance obligations.
Banks are seeking privacy, not just speed
The funding round highlights a broader shift in how financial institutions view blockchain. Early blockchain discussions often focused heavily on speed and cost savings. Today, the conversation is more nuanced. Banks want faster settlement and automation, but they also need data privacy, identity controls, audit trails and legal certainty.
For regulated markets, a blockchain network must do more than process transactions. It must support permissioning, help firms manage counterparty access, preserve confidential data, and function within existing rules on securities, derivatives, banking and cross-border payments.
That is where Canton’s architecture is meant to compete. Instead of creating a single fully open environment where every transaction can be monitored by anyone, the network is designed to allow applications and assets to connect while limiting unnecessary data exposure.
This structure may appeal to financial firms that want to tokenize real-world assets, such as bonds, funds, collateral or money-market instruments, but are cautious about placing sensitive workflows on networks where competitors could view activity patterns. The same concern applies to multinational corporations that may want to automate treasury or settlement operations without revealing commercial relationships.
The reported use of more than 28,000 registered corporate wallets on the infrastructure points to demand from businesses that need private, controlled financial workflows. Those wallets do not necessarily mean each one represents a separate company, but the figure suggests a meaningful level of engagement across corporate and institutional users.
Token market tracks the new funding
The Canton Network’s native CC token traded near $0.13 after the funding update, showing an increase of about 2% over the previous 24 hours, according to market data. Its market capitalization was approximately $5 billion based on available figures.
The token’s movement was modest, but the funding news gives traders another data point as they assess Canton’s position in the fast-growing tokenization sector. Market attention has increasingly turned to networks that claim practical use in financial markets, especially as banks and asset managers test blockchain-based issuance and settlement.
For CC, the area near $0.14 may become an important short-term level watched by traders. A sustained move above that point could attract additional attention from technical traders, while failure to break through may keep the token moving within its recent range.
Still, token market performance should be viewed separately from Digital Asset’s private company valuation. The company’s $2 billion valuation reflects its business, technology, strategic backers and long-term commercial prospects. The CC token’s market value reflects open-market supply, demand, trading liquidity, network expectations and broader sentiment toward digital assets.
That distinction is important because private funding rounds and token prices do not always move together. A major strategic funding announcement can strengthen confidence in a project’s ecosystem, but token prices may still be influenced by supply releases, liquidity conditions and short-term trading behavior.
Adoption metrics point to institutional demand
Digital Asset’s network metrics suggest Canton is gaining traction among institutions that want blockchain tools without sacrificing privacy. The network is said to process more than 600,000 transfers a day and operate with 575 active nodes around the world.
If sustained, those figures would place Canton among the more active institutional blockchain networks by operational use, particularly because its target market is not retail speculation but regulated financial workflows. In that segment, transaction volume is often slower to develop because institutions require long testing cycles, legal review, security checks and integration with existing systems.
The involvement of large financial institutions may help Canton build credibility among firms that are interested in tokenization but reluctant to depend on infrastructure without established financial-sector support. In banking and capital markets, adoption often depends not only on technology but also on trust, governance, legal clarity and the presence of credible counterparties.
Canton’s reported node base is also relevant. A wider node network can help strengthen resilience and reduce dependence on a small number of operators. For institutional users, operational reliability is critical. A blockchain used for financial workflows must be able to support high-value transactions and regulated processes without unexpected interruptions.
The 600,000 daily transfer figure also suggests Canton is being used for more than pilots or demonstrations. Many blockchain projects have announced partnerships and experiments, but fewer have shown signs of recurring operational activity. Daily transfers, active nodes and corporate wallets are among the metrics traders and market observers use to evaluate whether a network has practical adoption.
Supply releases may test market liquidity
Despite the positive funding news, CC traders are also watching upcoming supply changes. About $237 million in scheduled token supply releases are expected to enter the market next week, based on current token pricing and release data.
Large supply unlocks can put pressure on tokens if new holders sell into the market. They can also be absorbed without major disruption if demand is strong enough or if recipients hold rather than sell. The impact often depends on market conditions, trading volume, holder behavior and broader sentiment at the time of release.
For CC, the combination of strategic funding news and a large scheduled release creates a test for market liquidity. Strong trading volumes could help absorb additional supply, while thin liquidity may increase volatility. Traders will likely watch whether the token can remain near recent levels as the new supply becomes available.
Trading activity during Asian and European market hours may receive particular attention because the latest funding includes Shinhan and SC Ventures, linking the story more directly to those regions. Higher-than-usual volume during those sessions could signal stronger regional interest, although short-term volume spikes should be interpreted carefully.
The next two weeks may be important for CC’s near-term direction. A move through the $0.14 area, combined with strong volume, could suggest stronger momentum. On the other hand, if the supply release weighs on price and liquidity weakens, traders may look for lower support levels before confidence returns.
What comes next
Digital Asset’s expanded funding round comes as traditional finance continues to test blockchain systems for tokenized assets, settlement and institutional workflows. The company’s challenge now is to turn strategic backing into deeper usage across banks, asset managers, trading firms and corporate treasury operations.
The Canton Network sits in a competitive field. Public blockchains, private ledgers, bank-led platforms and market infrastructure providers are all trying to win a role in the future of tokenized finance. The winners will likely be the networks that can combine liquidity, compliance, privacy, interoperability and operational reliability.
For Digital Asset, the backing of Shinhan Financial Group and SC Ventures strengthens its position in that contest. It also shows that major financial institutions continue to see value in blockchain infrastructure designed specifically for regulated markets.
The bigger question is whether Canton can become a standard layer for institutional finance rather than one of many specialized networks. Its privacy-focused model addresses a real concern for banks and corporations. Its growing number of nodes, transfers and corporate wallets suggests meaningful activity. Its strategic backers provide credibility across regions.
But the market will still demand evidence of durable adoption. Traders will watch the CC token’s response to funding news, supply releases and resistance near $0.14. Financial firms will watch whether Canton can support larger and more complex real-world use cases.
For now, the latest $10 million commitment adds momentum to Digital Asset’s push to build blockchain infrastructure for regulated finance, while keeping the company’s valuation steady and expanding its reach across Asia and Europe.
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