OpenTrade, an institutional-grade platform specializing in onchain and real-world asset (RWA)-backed lending and stablecoin yield products, has raised $17 million in a strategic funding round. The investment, led by Mercury Fund and Notion Capital, brings the company’s total funding to over $30 million. The London-based firm plans to use the capital to scale its permissioned and permissionless yield infrastructure, expand its asset management and trading teams, and build a dedicated customer success function.
Funding details and growth trajectory
The latest round includes backing from prominent industry investor a16z Crypto, alongside early supporters such as Circle Ventures and Polygon Ventures. OpenTrade previously raised $7 million in a strategic round in June 2025 and $4 million in a seed round in November 2024. The company surpassed $200 million in total value locked (TVL) in April 2026, signaling strong demand for its yield products among fintechs and institutional investors.
Also read: Ethics standoff threatens Senate progress on CLARITY Act crypto bill ahead of Thursday markup
Regulatory context: the CLARITY Act debate
The funding comes at a decisive time for stablecoin regulation in the United States. The CLARITY Act, a broader digital asset market structure bill, has faced delays partly due to disagreements over whether crypto firms should offer interest-like incentives on stablecoin balances. A recent compromise between crypto and banking stakeholders would allow usage-based rewards such as cashback or discounts but prohibit yield on idle balances. OpenTrade CEO David Sutter expressed optimism about the progress, noting that the legal architecture of the platform is designed to comply with both traditional finance and digital asset regulatory standards globally.
How OpenTrade’s yield infrastructure works
OpenTrade’s platform routes user deposits into tokenized vaults that allocate capital across a mix of yield sources, primarily real-world assets such as fixed-income instruments, alongside selected decentralized finance (DeFi) strategies. Each vault follows a defined allocation strategy and operates through smart contract-based mechanisms that manage deposits, track positions, and distribute returns. The company’s structure is derived from securities lending in traditional finance but adapted to the lending of stablecoins instead of securities, Sutter explained.
Also read: Circle stock surges 15% after strong earnings, $222M ARC token presale fuels stablecoin optimism
Conclusion
OpenTrade’s latest funding round underscores the growing institutional appetite for compliant stablecoin yield products. As regulatory frameworks like the CLARITY Act evolve, platforms that offer scalable, compliant infrastructure are well-positioned to capture market share. The company’s focus on legal architecture and global compliance may serve as a blueprint for other firms addressing the complex intersection of traditional finance and digital assets.
FAQs
Q1: What is OpenTrade?
OpenTrade is an institutional-grade platform that provides onchain and real-world asset-backed lending and stablecoin yield products for fintechs and institutional investors. It was founded in 2023 by former Centre consortium members Dave Sutter and Jeff Handler.
Q2: How does the CLARITY Act affect stablecoin yields?
The CLARITY Act, a US digital asset market structure bill, proposes to regulate stablecoin rewards. A recent compromise would allow usage-based rewards like cashback but prohibit yield on idle stablecoin balances, which could impact how platforms like OpenTrade structure their products.
Q3: Who are OpenTrade’s key investors?
OpenTrade’s investors include Mercury Fund, Notion Capital, a16z Crypto, Circle Ventures, and Polygon Ventures. The company has raised a total of $30 million across multiple funding rounds since its seed round in November 2024.
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