METACO, a crypto custody platform, today announced a Series A round of $17 million. The round was oversubscribed, with demand over double the initial target, proving continued support from existing investors combined with significant interest from new strategic partners in security technology, central bank infrastructure, Swiss and global banks, and venture firms focused on financial technology, according to the firm.

Giesecke+Devrient, a German based security technology company and one of the main central bank infrastructure partners, led the round.

Standard Chartered Bank and Zuericher Kantonalbank, and venture capital firm Investiere joined the round which also saw all existing strategic shareholders, Swisscom, SIPCA, Avaloq, and Swiss Post increase their commitments.

METACO stated that its ability to expand its already significant Swiss strategic partnerships to new global partnerships demonstrates the excitement around METACO's growth internationally, as well as rising institutional interest in the digital asset space.

SILO

Launched in 2018, METACO’s institutional operating system for digital assets, SILO, enables large financial institutions to securely integrate  Cryptocurrencies  Cryptocurrencies By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities. By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the networks which are used to authenticate blockchain technology. Cryptocurrencies can be thought of as systems that accept online payments which are denoted as “tokens.” Tokens are represented as internal ledger entries in blockchain technology while the term crypto is used to depict cryptographic methods and encryption algorithms such as public-private key pairs, various hashing functions, and an elliptical curve. Every cryptocurrency transaction that occurs is logged in a web-based ledger with blockchain technology.These then must be approved by a disparate network of individual nodes (computers that maintain a copy of the ledger). For every new block generated, the block must first be authenticated and confirmed ‘approved’ by each node, which makes forging the transactional history of cryptocurrencies nearly impossible. The World’s First CryptoBitcoin became the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and to this day is still the most demanded cryptocurrency and the most valued. Bitcoin still contributes the majority of the overall cryptocurrency market volume, though several other cryptos have grown in popularity in recent years.Indeed, out of the wake of Bitcoin, iterations of Bitcoin became prevalent which resulted in a multitude of newly created or cloned cryptocurrencies. Contending cryptocurrencies that emerged after Bitcoin’s success is referred to as ‘altcoins’ and they refer to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Peercoin, Namecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Stellar, and Dash. Cryptocurrencies promise a wide range of technological innovations that have yet to be structured into being. Simplified payments between two parties without the need for a middle man is one aspect while leveraging blockchain technology to minimize transaction and processing fees for banks is another. Of course, cryptocurrencies have their disadvantages too. This includes issues of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit online activities where anonymity is a dire ingredient in solicitous and fraudulent activities. Read this Term, tokens, and distributed ledger use cases into their core infrastructure. Its unique framework for digital asset custody, transaction management, trading, and tokenization has made it the leading choice for banks and exchanges. METACO has significant Tier 1 and Tier 2 bank implementations including FINMA, BaFin, Banco de España, ECB, and MAS regulated banks and exchanges.

"I am really proud of our team and this funding round will push us to new heights. METACO not only secured an impressive round of funding, but also has a number of significant partnerships and integrations coming down the pipeline. I look forward to working with our new shareholders and encourage companies to get in touch to explore possible synergies," Adrien Treccani, CEO and founder of METACO, said.

Next phase of growth in sales, product and partnerships

The Series A funding will drive the next phase of METACO’s growth in sales, product, and partnerships, METACO explained.

More specifically, the firm will be broadening its presence in the US, South East Asia, and Western Europe. Research and development are at the core of METACO’s business strategy, so it will significantly increase investment in R&D to remain as the leader in digital asset infrastructure.

METACO will expand its product and addressable market with the launch of its new fully managed, secure, and cloud-based offering, SILO, that will open up the solution to the entire institutional market.

Assaf Shamia, investment director at Giesecke+Devrient added that the tokenization narrative is gaining momentum among regulators and central banks, encompassing a broad spectrum of promising innovations ranging from digital currencies to national identities.

“We believe that digital assets are here to stay as an asset class. However, the infrastructure is still very nascent. We are developing a venture to meet the demands of institutional investors for an end-to-end institutional-grade custodian of digital assets, which meets regulatory standards. We are pleased to partner and invest in METACO, as a leading provider of security-critical digital asset infrastructure, which will provide both ease of use and uncompromising security,” Alex Manson, global head of SC Ventures, the innovation, fintech investment and venture arm of Standard Chartered, said.

“SICPA was an early investor in METACO and continues to have high confidence in its market leading capabilities. METACO’s custody solutions for Central Bank Digital Currency fit SICPA’s vision for coexistence and complementarity between CBDC and traditional cash  Payments  Payments One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonly the basis of exchange involves fiat currency or legal tender, be it in the form of cash, credit or bank transfers, debit, or checks. While typically associated with cash transfers, payments can also be made in anything of perceived value, be it stock or bartering – though this is far more limited today than it has been in the past.The Largest Players in the Payments IndustryFor most individuals, the payments industry is dominated currently by card companies such as Visa or Mastercard, which facilitate the use of credit or debit expenditures. More recently, this industry has seen the rise of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments services, which have gained tremendous traction in Europe, the United States, and Asia, among other continents.One of the biggest parameters for payments is timing, which looms as a crucial element for execution. By this metric, consumer demand incentivizes technology that prioritizes the fastest payment execution.This can help explain the preference for debit and credit payments overtaking check or money orders, which in previous decades were much more commonly utilized. A multi-billion-dollar industry, the payments space has seen some of the most innovation and advances in recent years as companies look to push contactless technology with faster execution times. One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonly the basis of exchange involves fiat currency or legal tender, be it in the form of cash, credit or bank transfers, debit, or checks. While typically associated with cash transfers, payments can also be made in anything of perceived value, be it stock or bartering – though this is far more limited today than it has been in the past.The Largest Players in the Payments IndustryFor most individuals, the payments industry is dominated currently by card companies such as Visa or Mastercard, which facilitate the use of credit or debit expenditures. More recently, this industry has seen the rise of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments services, which have gained tremendous traction in Europe, the United States, and Asia, among other continents.One of the biggest parameters for payments is timing, which looms as a crucial element for execution. By this metric, consumer demand incentivizes technology that prioritizes the fastest payment execution.This can help explain the preference for debit and credit payments overtaking check or money orders, which in previous decades were much more commonly utilized. A multi-billion-dollar industry, the payments space has seen some of the most innovation and advances in recent years as companies look to push contactless technology with faster execution times. Read this Term,” Kalin Nicolov, head of digital currency at SICPA, added.