SBI bets $76M on EDX as institutional crypto race heats up

EDX Markets closed a $76 million Series C funding round led by Japan’s SBI Holdings. The Chicago-based company announced the deal on July 7, 2026. EDX said it will use the capital to expand trading, clearing, and settlement services. It also plans to speed up product development and grow its operations outside the United States.

SBI acted as the sole investor in the equity round, according to EDX chief executive Tony Acuña-Rohter. The company did not disclose its valuation or other deal terms. Earlier backers include Charles Schwab, Citadel Securities, Fidelity Investments, Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, and other market firms. This marks the first funding round whose size EDX has publicly disclosed. Acuña-Rohter said EDX was “pleased to welcome SBI as a strategic partner.”

Funding supports institutional crypto infrastructure

EDX runs an institutional-only crypto marketplace and a central clearinghouse. Its U.S. venue offers spot trading, while EDXM International provides perpetual futures to eligible non-U.S. institutions. The company follows a market structure used by traditional exchanges. It separates trading from some clearing and custody functions to reduce conflicts between service providers.

The new funding will support infrastructure for banks, trading firms, and other professional clients. EDX plans to improve its clearing process, settlement systems, and risk controls. The company also aims to add products as more institutions seek regulated access to crypto markets. SBI chairman Yoshitaka Kitao said “trusted market infrastructure will serve as a critical foundation for institutional adoption.” The SBI Holdings announcement described EDX as part of its wider digital asset strategy.

EDX expands products and seeks a trust bank charter

Earlier in 2026, EDX launched EDX FlowConnect, a crypto-as-a-service product. The service lets companies add digital asset trading for their customers without building a full exchange system. EDX provides tools for execution, liquidity access, clearing, settlement, and related market operations. The Series C capital will help the company expand this service and support more institutional clients.

EDX has also applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to form EDX Trust, National Association. The OCC listed the application as received on March 26, 2026. If approved, the national trust bank would provide custody, clearing, settlement, and risk management. It would operate alongside EDX’s trading venues as a separate regulated entity.

Crypto.news links funding to EDX’s wider expansion

A July 8 crypto.news report said the round follows EDX’s recent growth across spot trading, perpetual futures, clearing, and settlement. The report also linked the funding to EDX’s work with Ripple Prime. That integration gives institutional clients access to EDX spot liquidity and EDXM International perpetual futures through one prime brokerage system.

Ripple Prime announced the integration in May 2026. The companies also plan to use RLUSD for settlement and collateral on EDX. The arrangement has not placed XRP in the main settlement role. SBI’s own digital asset plans include the yen-based JPYSC and support for dollar stablecoins such as RLUSD and USDC in Japan.

The $76 million round gives EDX more capital as it targets large financial institutions. SBI gains a strategic position in a trading and clearing company built for professional clients. EDX will now focus on product delivery, international growth, its FlowConnect service, and the pending EDX Trust application.