TLDR
- Citadel Securities has invested $400 million in Crypto.com, valuing the exchange at $20 billion
- This is Crypto.com’s first institutional funding round in its 10-year history
- Funds will go toward expanding tokenized securities, derivatives, and other asset classes
- Citadel also previously invested $200 million in Kraken at the same $20 billion valuation
- Trump Media holds about 2% of circulating CRO supply through a strategic partnership with Crypto.com
Citadel Securities has made a $400 million strategic investment in Crypto.com. The deal values the Singapore-based crypto exchange at $20 billion.
LATEST: 💰 Citadel Securities invested $400M in Crypto.com, valuing the exchange at $20B in its first institutional funding round since launching in 2016. pic.twitter.com/qzNfN1iwqS
— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) July 17, 2026
This is Crypto.com’s first institutional funding round since the company was founded in 2016. Despite being one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, it had raised relatively little outside capital before this deal.
The company plans to use the funds to expand into tokenized securities, derivatives, and other asset classes. It is also developing products in prediction markets and tokenized real-world assets.
Citadel’s Growing Crypto Footprint
This is not Citadel’s first move into crypto. In November 2025, the firm invested $200 million in U.S. exchange Kraken, also at a $20 billion valuation.
Citadel also co-led a $500 million strategic investment in Ripple alongside Fortress Investment Group, valuing Ripple at $40 billion. It has backed Digital Asset, the firm behind the Canton blockchain, across multiple rounds.
The firm is also a participant in tokenization startup Alpaca’s $150 million Series D round. Citadel’s crypto investments are adding up quickly.
Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek said the size of the opportunity is large, as crypto increasingly becomes the rails for global finance. Citadel Securities President Jim Esposito called the convergence of traditional finance and digital assets an exciting evolution with the potential to improve market efficiency.
Crypto.com’s Background and Partnerships
Crypto.com was originally known as Monaco. It raised about $26.7 million through an initial coin offering in 2017, then rebranded and switched from the MCO token to the CRO token in 2020.
Its VC arm expanded to a $500 million fund in 2022. The platform now serves both retail and institutional clients and launched tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs in its core app around June 2026.
Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, bought about 2% of circulating CRO supply as part of a partnership with Crypto.com. Crypto.com also bought $50 million in Trump Media stock as part of that deal.
Trump Media is also involved in a new company called Trump Media Group CRO Strategy, which plans to build a large CRO treasury through a SPAC deal.
For context, Coinbase, the first major crypto exchange to go public, currently trades at around a $43 billion market cap. Crypto.com’s $20 billion valuation puts it in a similar range among major exchanges.
The investment reflects a broader shift as traditional finance firms increase their exposure to crypto infrastructure. Wall Street involvement in digital assets has grown steadily since spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in January 2024.
Stop guessing and start investing with confidence. KnockoutStocks gives you the AI insights, market intelligence, and stock research you need to spot opportunities, cut through the noise, and make smarter investment decisions — all in one powerful platform.
Sign up today and get 50% OFF full access to our premium stock picks.
Simply use coupon code SPECIAL50 at checkout to claim your exclusive discount.
Get 3 Free Stock Ebooks
Discover top-performing stocks in AI, Crypto, and Technology with expert analysis.
- Top 10 AI Stocks - Leading AI companies
- Top 10 Crypto Stocks - Blockchain leaders
- Top 10 Tech Stocks - Tech giants
