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§ Private Profile · 80 Robinson Road, Singapore
Vauld is a technology company.
Vauld has raised $29.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Vauld.
Vauld was founded in 2018 by Darshan Bathija (Co-founder and CEO) and Sanju Sony Kurian (Co-Founder, CTO).
Vauld has raised $29.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Vauld operates a comprehensive digital asset platform that unifies various cryptocurrency functionalities for users. The platform allows individuals to acquire, lend, borrow against, and exchange a range of crypto assets, all managed through a singular interface. Its approach integrates traditional banking services with blockchain technology to streamline digital asset management.
The company was founded in 2018 by Darshan Bathija and Sanju Sony Kurian. Their initial insight stemmed from a recognition of the need for a more accessible and cohesive financial ecosystem within the burgeoning cryptocurrency space, aiming to create a customer-centric service model for digital assets. The founders sought to simplify crypto engagement for a broader audience.
The platform caters to individuals seeking to actively manage and expand their cryptocurrency portfolios. Vauld’s overarching vision is to facilitate long-term wealth creation through its suite of crypto-financial products, empowering users with greater control and utility over their digital holdings as the financial landscape evolves.
Key people at Vauld.
Vauld is a Singapore-based cryptocurrency platform that enables users to buy, sell, lend, borrow, and trade assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, USDC, and others from a unified interface[1][4]. Originally launched as "Bank of Hodlers" in 2018, it targeted retail and institutional customers seeking asset-backed lending and high-yield earning on crypto holdings, with interest rates up to 11.57%[1][4]. The platform suspended operations in July 2022 amid market crashes and heavy withdrawals exceeding $190 million, leading to a court-approved restructuring that promises up to 93% recovery for $325 million in unsecured claims from 150,000 creditors, paid in crypto by October 2023[2][3].
Vauld was founded in 2018 in Singapore by Sanju Sony Kurian (Co-founder and VP Technology, ex-Kings Learning) and Darshan Bathija (CEO, background in lending with $100 million in facilitated loans, ex-Piramal Finance, BITS Pilani engineering alum)[1]. It emerged from "Bank of Hodlers," capitalizing on the crypto boom to offer seamless lending, borrowing, and trading for hodlers (long-term holders)[1]. Early traction included raising funds from prominent investors like Nexo, Gumi Cryptos Capital, CoinShares, Coinbase Ventures, CMT Digital, and Valar Ventures (Peter Thiel-backed), totaling nearly $27 million[1][2]. Pivotal moments included rapid growth until the 2022 crypto winter forced operational suspension on July 4, 2022[2].
Vauld rode the 2018-2021 crypto bull market, capitalizing on DeFi trends for retail-accessible lending and yield farming amid rising Bitcoin and Ethereum adoption[1]. Timing aligned with institutional interest, evidenced by backers like Coinbase Ventures, but exposed vulnerabilities to market crashes (e.g., 90% value drops) and liquidity runs, mirroring FTX and Celsius failures[2]. It influences the ecosystem by pioneering creditor-friendly restructurings in crypto, setting precedents for global retail protection in Singapore courts and reinforcing crypto's integration with traditional insolvency frameworks[3]. Market forces like regulatory scrutiny and stablecoin dominance now favor its recovery model.
Post-restructuring, Vauld eyes relaunched operations with first creditor payouts by late 2023, potentially resuming lending/trading under stricter risk controls[3][4]. Trends like Bitcoin ETF approvals, clearer regulations, and Web3 revival could boost its unified platform, but competition from Binance and Coinbase demands enhanced security. Its influence may evolve toward compliant, retail-focused crypto banking, tying back to its hodler origins—positioning it as a survivor in a maturing digital asset space if execution holds.
Vauld has raised $29.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $25.0M Series A in July 2021.
| Date | Company | Round | Lead Investor(s) | Co-Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2024 | Liminal | $5.0M Seed | Srinivas Bhaskar | Bessemer Venture Partners, Daffy, FIN Capital, NextView Ventures, MAX Simkoff, ROB Bernshteyn, Steve Schlafman, Ajeet Khurana ⭕️, Andreas Antonopoulos, Balaji S., Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, Better Capital, Cadenza Ventures, CoinDCX Ventures, Hashed, LD Capital, Nexus Ventures, Sparrow Capital, Himanshu Yadav |
Vauld was founded in 2018 by Darshan Bathija (Co-founder and CEO) and Sanju Sony Kurian (Co-Founder, CTO).
Vauld has raised $29.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Vauld's investors include Valar Ventures, CoinFund, Core Innnovation Capital, Dragonfly Capital Partners, Gumi Cryptos Capital, Hack VC, Morpheus Ventures, Rick Yang, ParaFi Capital, Pioneer Fund, Robot Ventures, SID Venture Partners.
