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$11.2B in 2026 crypto funding goes to regulated, permissioned projects
In the first six months of 2026, 377 disclosed funding rounds directed $3.7B to payments and stablecoins, $2.0B to prediction markets, and $1.7B to crypto exchanges and trading platforms.
CoinDesk reports that crypto startups raised $11.2 billion in the first half of 2026, and all disclosed funding flowed to regulated, permissioned businesses rather than the permissionless projects that previously defined the sector.
According to Dubai-based crypto lawyer Irina Heaver, whose firm NeosLegal tracked every disclosed crypto funding round from January through June 2026, there were 377 financing rounds in total. Heaver said the capital largely targeted categories that require regulatory approval, including payments and stablecoins, prediction markets, and crypto exchanges and trading platforms.
The report said payments and stablecoins drew the most funding at $3.7 billion, prediction markets received $2.0 billion, and exchanges and trading platforms raised $1.7 billion. Heaver added that prediction markets saw activity every month in the first half of 2026, with 34 rounds in six months.
CoinDesk also highlighted examples of regulated funding in prediction markets, including Kalshi raising $1 billion in May with backers such as Sequoia Capital, Morgan Stanley, Ark Invest, and Andreessen Horowitz. It cited Polymarket raising $600 million from Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange.