- Fnality secures $136 million to expand blockchain payments supported by major banks.
- Bitcoin consolidates near $112,929 as Ethereum rises after market dip.
- Pudgy Pandas meme coin raises $2.87 million in Asian presale, targets global expansion.
As crypto markets stabilized following Monday’s sharp drop, London-based blockchain payments firm Fnality International Ltd. announced it has raised $136 million in new funding as leading financial institutions continue to explore infrastructure for digital assets.
Bitcoin traded at $112,929.42, virtually unchanged from the previous day and down about 9% from its all-time high of $124,500.
Ethereum stood at $4,192.29, up roughly 0.2% over the past 24 hours.
The financing round was led by Bank of America, Citigroup, KBC Group, Tradeweb Markets, Temasek and WisdomTree, with existing backers including Goldman Sachs, UBS and Banco Santander also participating.
Funds will be used to expand Fnality’s payments network, accelerate product development and pursue regulatory approvals in additional markets.
While the company focuses on institutional blockchain infrastructure, the broader crypto ecosystem is also seeing momentum in retail-driven meme tokens, with Pudgy Pandas gaining early traction in Asia.
Institutional blockchain payments gain momentum through Fnality
Founded in 2019 from a UBS-led blockchain initiative, Fnality has emerged as one of the companies aiming to modernize the settlement layer of financial markets.
Its platform enables banks to transact using a digital cash asset that is backed 1:1 by central bank reserves, beginning with the Bank of England.
This approach is designed to speed and simplify settlement of tokenized assets, such as equities and bonds, by providing a reliable “cash leg” for those transactions.
Fnality launched its pound-based payments system in 2023 and is now seeking approvals to expand into other major currencies.
CEO Michelle Neal said the new funding will be directed toward scaling operations and securing regulatory clearances in additional jurisdictions.
The company’s progress reflects a broader trend within traditional finance, where large institutions are increasingly evaluating blockchain to improve efficiency and reduce risk.
Although the technology has been trialed within banking for more than a decade, broad commercial adoption remains limited and relatively few systems are fully operational at scale.
Recent moves by peers—such as JPMorgan testing a deposit-backed token called JPMD and HSBC introducing tokenized deposit services—underscore growing institutional interest in blockchain solutions.
Pudgy Pandas shows early strength
Alongside institutional adoption, retail-led crypto momentum remains robust, with meme-driven projects continuing to attract investor attention.
Pudgy Pandas, a token originating in Asia, is currently in presale and gaining rapid traction across China, Korea, Japan and greater East Asia.
The project has raised $2.87 million in its presale so far, which runs through October 18, 2025.
Presale pricing increases in stages and the token is expected to list immediately afterward without delay.
The project highlights conservation-focused tokenomics.
Ten percent of the supply is allocated to panda charities under a long-term vesting schedule, while another 10% supports a “birth initiative” that burns tokens each time a panda cub is born, increasing scarcity.
Other initiatives include awareness campaigns for panda welfare, protests against caged enclosures and visible marketing tied to the #FreeThePandas movement.
Asian traders have historically driven early success for meme coins like Shiba Inu, Bonk, Floki and Pengu, with some delivering returns measured in the thousands of percent.
Investors in Pudgy Pandas expect strong early interest; combined with Asia’s dominance in exchange volumes, that demand could propel the project toward a multibillion-dollar market capitalization.
Together, Fnality’s institutional blockchain push and Pudgy Pandas’ retail-driven momentum illustrate the wide range of strategies shaping today’s digital asset market—from central bank-linked settlement systems to viral meme tokens.