The company a16z has raised $2.2 billion for its fifth crypto fund. This is one of the largest specialized crypto funds launched this year.
Institutional money continues to flow into blockchain startups even in a calm market, despite the relatively quiet market.
In April 2026, crypto projects raised only $662.4 million across 64 investment rounds. The market has not shown a weaker month in the past year.
A16z Bets on Practical Use of Crypto
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) raised $2.2 billion for its fifth crypto fund. This is one of the largest venture rounds in crypto this year. The fund is led by a16z crypto founder Chris Dixon along with partners Ali Yahya, Guy Wuollet, and Eddy Lazzarin.
The focus is on startups building real products on existing crypto infrastructure. According to a16z, it is applied services that will drive the market over the next ten years.
The new fund is smaller than the previous a16z crypto fund of $4.5 billion, which the company raised in 2022. But even so, the amount remains noticeably higher than recent competitor rounds. For example, Haun Ventures recently raised $1 billion, and Dragonfly Capital about $650 million.
At a16z they are confident that the real value of the crypto market is created not during hype, but in the periods between cycles. It is in such periods that developers turn the technological base into products for regular users.
As an example, a16z cites stablecoins. According to a16z, their use continued to grow even during market downturns thanks to international transfers and using crypto as a store of value.
Separately, a16z notes that more and more traditional financial instruments are gradually moving to blockchain. This is especially noticeable in perpetual futures, prediction markets, and on-chain lending, which have grown significantly since the last cycle.
See Also: Western Union Begins Implementing USDPT Stablecoin on Solana
Market sentiment is also influenced by the regulatory situation. In the US the discussion continues on the GENIUS Act bill related to stablecoins.
At the same time, other funds are becoming more active. For example, Ethereal Ventures, founded by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin, reported that it now manages almost $150 million in assets through two funds.
The fund has already invested in more than 80 early-stage startups, including EigenLayer. After the Series B round led by a16z, the project’s valuation rose to $1.05 billion.
Among the projects is the infrastructure company Jito from the Solana ecosystem, which received investment from a16z last year. In July, Jito plans to launch its own trading app JTX for retail users.
The company head Lucas Bruder said that the project has significantly more than $100 million on its accounts. According to him, the team does not want to wait for someone else to start building user products on top of their infrastructure.
The Traditional Financial Sector Moves Deeper Into Digital Assets
Major financial companies are also starting to move more actively toward digital assets. This is largely due to client demand.
The operator of the Swiss exchange SIX received approval from FINMA to combine its digital asset depository with its main custody platform. This will allow cryptocurrencies to be stored through the same regulated structure already used for stocks and bonds.
The head of Securities Services at SIX Rafael Moral Santiago says the company wants to give financial organizations simpler and more regulated access to digital assets.
At the same time, Securitize together with Cantor Equity Partners II launched regulated on-chain trading of tokenized stocks.
For this, Securitize is partnering with Jump Trading and Jupiter. The system operates on the Solana blockchain, through which real stocks can now be traded under existing securities laws.
