Crypto12 May, 20262 min read
Arc, Canton, and Tempo Raise $1B+ as Privacy Drives Crypto Institutional Growth
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Arc, Canton, and Tempo raised over $1 billion collectively from institutions. Regulatory clarity in the U.S. and demand for private transactions drive funding.
Privacy drives funding wave
Arc, Canton, and Tempo—three blockchains focused on stablecoins and tokenization—have collectively raised more than $1 billion, according to Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan. Circle (CRCL) recently raised $222 million at a $3 billion valuation for Arc, while Digital Asset is reportedly raising $300 million at a $2 billion valuation for the Canton blockchain.
Tempo, backed by Stripe and Paradigm, previously raised $500 million at a $5 billion valuation. Hougan said the fundraising wave reflects clearer U.S. regulation, growing demand for private blockchain transactions, and rising competition from corporate-backed crypto networks.
Hougan: transparency is a bug
In a Tuesday blog post, Hougan argued that privacy could emerge as a “killer app” for crypto as businesses and consumers become less comfortable with fully transparent blockchains like Ethereum and Solana. He said, "If you're a business broadcasting every trade before it's complete, or a worker whose paycheck is visible to anyone with a block explorer, that transparency is a bug, not a feature,".
Hougan added that the fundraising boom also reflects growing confidence after Congress passed the Genius Act in 2025, giving institutions a clearer regulatory footing to invest in crypto infrastructure. The same coverage frames the institutional need as balancing speed, cost, and security, with stablecoins and tokenization requiring transactions that are fast and affordable but also private, compliant, and secure enough for real-world finance.
Token unlocks and market watch
Beyond fundraising, CryptoRank highlighted a RootData unlock event for APR tokens, saying APR tokens worth approximately $12.63 million will be unlocked in one week. CryptoRank reported that aPriori (APR) will unlock about 54.34 million tokens at 00:00 Beijing time on April 23, worth about $12.63 million.
“APR tokens worth approximately $12.63 million will be unlocked in one week.”
The same RootData framing was echoed by ChainCatcher, which CryptoRank said reported the unlock data from the Web3 asset data platform RootData. Together, the articles place privacy-focused infrastructure investment alongside near-term token supply changes for APR as market participants track crypto performance and unlock schedules.