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Introduction.com Updates (Members):
Introduction.com x Acquire.fi: Members Only Dinner (Singapore)
A closed-door evening bringing together top family offices, allocators, and members of Introduction.com.
In partnership with Acquire.fi — the go-to platform for Web3 M&A, Secondaries & OTC.
Hosted at the Mandarin Oriental Penthouse, overlooking the Formula 1 track — the most sought-after venue in the country, the evening is designed for high-value connections and meaningful exchange.
No panels. No pitches. Just curated introductions, deep conversations, and access to the people allocating billions into Web3’s future.
Attendance is strictly by invitation. Capacity is limited to a select circle of our global members, venture partners, and a handful of founders building in the most competitive sectors.
If you’ve been invited, it’s because we believe you bring something rare to the table and will walk away with relationships that compound for years.
Guests will enjoy an open bar and chef-prepared service throughout the night, ensuring the environment remains both relaxed and conducive to meaningful connection.
Introduction.com x Silicon Valley Bank: Members Only Dinner (NYC):
The Introduction.com team is excited to announce our first IRL, members only, event in New York City.
A closed-door gathering of top founders, investors, and operators from across Web3, AI, and fintech.
Hosted in partnership with Silicon Valley Bank and Introduction.com, this event is designed for high-value connections and meaningful relationships.
No panels. No pitches. Just curated introductions, deep conversations, and access to the people shaping the next decade of innovation.
Attendance is strictly by invitation.
Super excited for this announcement, will be the first of many!
👶 New Member Announcements:
The Introduction.com team is super excited to announce the newest additions to our community this week!
(We’d love to see you up here one day🤠)
Apply Today
Zack Brenner @ OpeanSea
We're excited to welcome Zack Brenner (@zjbrenner) who now leads token trading at @opensea following his work as Head of Partnerships and Strategic Growth at Rally where he scaled through its acquisition. His experience spans consumer growth and B2B partnerships, giving him a unique background in driving adoption and build lasting value in Web3. Thrilled to have him on board!
Follow Zack on X and LinkedIn!
Table of Contents
What We’re Looking at 👀
🌟The SEC and CFTC just dropped the gloves, teaming up to finally write joint rules for DeFi, prediction markets, and round-the-clock crypto trading.
While regulators make peace, the industry is going to war: Trump Media went full DeFi with a $105M CRO play, Polymarket blitzed back with legal clarity, and Pump.fun lit up creators with $2M+ in daily payouts.
Add in funding rounds from Utila, Reflect, Maiga, and Lead Bank, and the message is clear: the next wave of crypto isn’t waiting for permission.
The rails are being rebuilt, and everyone is racing to own them.🌟
Money Moves(Funding/M&A): 🤑
From Introduction.com Members 💳️
Maiga
ThirdFi Rebrands Into Maiga: DeFAi Trading Powerhouse 🌐🤖
What’s Happening 📰
ThirdFi has officially rebranded as Maiga, announcing a $2M strategic raise led by community-aligned backers.
The move positions Maiga as an AI-driven DeFi trading platform aiming to bring automated crypto strategies to the masses.
From ThirdFi to Maiga 🔄
Originally launched as ThirdFi in 2022, the company began as an API-first infrastructure layer for DeFi data and settlement.
Over time, it evolved into a trading-focused platform, leveraging its original infrastructure to power AI-driven trading agents under the Maiga brand.
Key milestones:
2022: ThirdFi launches as a DeFi infrastructure toolkit.
2023: Integrates multi-chain support and expands settlement APIs.
2024: Early experiments with AI trading agents laid the foundation for a pivot.
2025: Rebrand to Maiga, signaling a full commitment to AI + trading automation.
What Maiga Does (and Doesn’t) ⚙️
What It Can Do ✅
Automated Trading: Executes buy and sell orders across supported pairs autonomously.
Strategy Execution: Runs customizable trading strategies powered by on-chain data feeds and AI signals.
TEE Security: Uses Trusted Execution Environments to keep strategies private and verifiable.
Proof-of-Trading: Offers cryptographic proof of executed trades for auditability and trust.
What It Can’t Do 🚫
No Margin Trading: Does not currently support leveraged positions.
Chain-Limited Exposure: Operates natively on BNB Chain only, restricting direct access to non-BNB-native assets.
No Full-Custody Control: Users must still manage wallet security; Maiga never directly holds funds.
Why Maiga Stands Out 🌟
TEE + MCP Synergy: Combines Trusted Execution Environments with Multi-Party Computation (MCP) to deliver secure, verifiable AI trading without exposing sensitive strategies.
Proof of Performance: Real-time trade verification builds transparency lacking in most AI bots.
Ecosystem Momentum: Over 1M users served and 7M+ transactions processed to date.
Funding Validation: The $2M strategic raise shows growing community trust in Maiga’s vision.
Looking Ahead 🔮
Maiga is betting on AI agents as the future of DeFi trading. Its success hinges on scaling beyond BNB Chain, expanding asset coverage, and proving the profitability of AI-driven strategies in volatile crypto markets.
If Maiga delivers, it could become the default layer for autonomous, secure, and transparent crypto trading—but execution risk remains high in an increasingly competitive space.
Reflect
Reflect: Learning From the Past, Building Solana’s Synthetic Future
What’s Happening 📰
Reflect has secured $3.75M in seed funding from a16z, Solana Ventures, and Jump.
The company aims to build USDC+, a Solana-first, DeFi-native synthetic, yield bearing stablecoin.
TL;DR: USDC backed synthetic stablecoin that earns yield built on Solana.
How It Works ⚙️
Reflect issues USDC+, a synthetic, yield-bearing stablecoin pegged 1:1 to USDC. Users deposit USDC, and Reflect handles the complex trading under the hood to generate yield.
Deposit USDC → Mint USDC+
You send regular USDC to Reflect and receive USDC+ back at a 1:1 ratio.
Delta-Neutral Strategy
Reflect uses your USDC to go long spot crypto while shorting perpetual futures on exchanges. These positions cancel out price exposure.
Yield from Funding Rates
In bullish markets, perpetual longs pay shorts to keep prices aligned. Reflect collects these payments without betting on price direction.
Always Redeemable at $1
Because minting and redemptions are always 1:1 in USDC, the peg stays stable while users benefit from funding-driven yields.
Reflecting on the Past 🔍
This is not the first time we have seen a synthetic stablecoin on Solana.
UXD was the original pioneer, but it struggled with liquidity, interoperability, and adoption and has since closed up shop.
Reflect builds on those lessons to deliver a more usable, transferable, and scalable model.
Liquidity & Transfers
UXD: Pegged but isolated; redeeming required complex swaps and fragmented pools.
Reflect: USDC+ mints and redeems directly in USDC, making it as liquid as holding regular USDC. And by aligning directly with USDC, Solana’s largest stablecoin, USDC+ is instantly familiar
Regulatory Positioning
UXD: Operated like a bespoke financial asset, which exposed it to heightened regulatory scrutiny and potential licensing requirements.
Reflect: As a synthetic, DeFi-native stablecoin built directly on Solana, Reflect sidesteps those hurdles. By pegging USDC+ 1:1 with USDC and leveraging USDC’s existing compliance footprint, Reflect avoids direct oversight from U.S. regulators while still inheriting trust from a regulated asset.
Infrastructure Advantage
UXD: Built a custom setup without deep ecosystem buy-in.
Reflect: Backed by a16z, Solana Ventures, and Jump, it’s integrating directly into Solana’s high-speed rails from day one.
Why It Matters 📰🚨
Stablecoins are becoming the backbone of on-chain finance, but yield-bearing synthetics are the next evolution.
If Reflect executes, USDC+ could emerge as the first mainstream yield-bearing stablecoin, unlocking a new primitive for DeFi, payments, and cross-chain liquidity.
Lead
In the lead, Lead Bank secures an additional $70M. Hits $1.47B Valuation 💰
Quick Take 📰
Lead Bank just secured $70M in Series B funding, led by ICONIQ and Greycroft, with continued backing from a16z, Ribbit, Khosla, Coatue, and Zeev Ventures.
This raise pushes Lead’s valuation to $1.47B and cements its role as one of the few FDIC-insured banks powering crypto-native payments infrastructure.
From Community Roots to Crypto Rails 🏦
Founded nearly a century ago, Lead Bank was acquired in 2022 by fintech veteran Jackie Reses and a consortium of heavyweights including a16z, Ribbit, and Coatue.
The play: leverage Lead’s clean charter and compliance-ready foundation to build fintech rails primed for Web3 and embedded finance.
Pivot to Fintech & Web3 🚀
Lead’s transformation since acquisition has been fast and deliberate:
2024: Rolled out Banking-as-a-Service APIs supporting accounts, cards, and instant payments.
2025: Partnered with Stripe Bridge to issue Visa-linked stablecoin cards.
2025: Landed enterprise fintech clients like Branch for scaled mobile payouts.
2025: Recognized by Forbes Fintech 50 and CNBC Disruptor 50 as a top innovator.
The Raise & What’s Next 💡
This $70M round signals deep institutional conviction in Lead’s role as the compliant backbone of on-chain finance. Funds will be used to:
Expand developer tooling and embedded payment rails.
Deepen DeFi and fintech integrations.
Scale stablecoin-native settlement globally.
Why It Matters 🔮
As regulators tighten around exchanges and custodians, Lead is stepping up as one of the only FDIC-backed banks bridging crypto and TradFi.
By embedding stablecoin settlement directly into card networks and fintech stacks, Lead could become the invisible backbone of next-gen payment rails.
Industry Leaders 🤠
Utila
Utila Rides the Stablecoin Summer Wave 🌊
What’s Happening 📢
Utila just closed a $22M Series A extension, nearly tripling its valuation amid surging demand for stablecoin infrastructure.
Who They Are 🧩
Founded in 2022 by Bentzi Rabi and Sam Eiderman, Utila started as an MPC custody platform designed for institutional security.
In 2025, it pivoted toward becoming a stablecoin infrastructure layer, powering issuance, compliance, and settlement rails at scale.
What They Do Now — and Why It Matters 🛠️
Utila has evolved from a basic MPC wallet platform into a full-blown operating system for stablecoins, handling the entire lifecycle for institutions under one roof.
Before: It was about secure custody—think strong, policy-driven wallets for teams and institutions.
Now: Utila lets organizations release, manage, settle, and govern stablecoins across banking rails, DeFi, and APIs. You can handle everything from minting USD stablecoins to routing payouts—all automatically and compliantly.
Why It Stands Out: Unlike one-trick solutions (like legacy MPC custody or single-rail payment tools), Utila gives you a seamless, compliance-first infrastructure stack that supports treasury operations, onboarding, trading, and business continuity—from launch to scale. It’s the difference between a tool and a toolbox.
Explosive Growth by the Numbers 📊
$90B+ in total transaction volume processed since pivoting.
Serving 1,200+ institutional and enterprise clients worldwide.
Powering daily flows across 150+ payment corridors, embedding stablecoins directly into commerce.
The Raise 💸
Utila kicked things off with an $18M Series A in March. The raise was led by Nyca Partners to scale enterprise-grade MPC wallet infrastructure when stablecoin demand was just heating up.
Six months later, standing on rapid adoption, they extended the round with an additional $22M, bringing the total Series A to $40M and valuation to nearly triple.
This influx of capital wasn’t sought, it came inbound, fueling merchant integration, developer tools, and global stablecoin rails.
Capital breakdown:
March Series A: $18M — led by Nyca Partners, with Wing VC, NFX, Gaingels, Haymaker, Cerca Partners.  
September Extension: $22M — led by Red Dot Capital Partners, with Nyca, Wing VC, DCG, Cerca Partners, FunFair Ventures, SilverCircle.  
Total Series A capital now: $40M, on top of prior seed, putting total funding past $51M.   
Looking Ahead 🔮
As Stablecoin Summer rolls into fall, Utila is set to become one of the biggest winners of the cycle.
With integrations deepening across banking corridors and DeFi rails, Utila could emerge as the platform powering the next trillion dollars of on-chain payments.
Events 📆
IRL:
NYC; 9/18 🗽
Singapore; 10/2 🇸🇬
Seoul, Korea; 9/23 - 9/24 🇰🇷
Tuesday, September 30; Location TBD
Warszawa, Poland 9/5 - 9/7 🇵🇱
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 10/1 - 10/2 🇸🇬
Top Stories 📰
SEC X CFTC Collab
SEC + CFTC: Turf Wars Are Over ⚖️
The SEC and CFTC are finally calling a truce 🏳️
The agencies announced a joint roundtable on September 29 to hammer out unified rules for DeFi, prediction markets, and 24/7 crypto trading 🎉
Before vs. After 🕰️
Before: the SEC cracked down with enforcement while the CFTC leaned innovation-friendly. Ambiguity reigned, especially around assets like ETH being treated as both securities and commodities.
After: Now, both agencies are “leaving turf aside” and working together on aligned rules: innovation exemptions, clearer product definitions, and capital frameworks designed to unlock real adoption.
Why It Matters 🚨
This marks the first real moment of regulatory cohesion for crypto in the U.S. Companies building at the edge of securities and commodities finally get a path forward without playing agency roulette.
If it holds, this shift could unlock capital, accelerate product approvals, and make the U.S. competitive in Web3 innovation again.
TMTG Goes Full DeFi 🏛️💥
$105M CRO Bet Signals Crypto-First Media Empire
The Bigger Picture 🌎
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) isn’t just building apps, it’s building an American-first, censorship-resistant ecosystem.
Founded in 2021, the company started with Truth Social to fight “Big Tech censorship” and has since expanded into streaming, fintech, and now on-chain treasury management.
The Truth Empire 🏰
Here’s how the pieces fit together:
Truth Social 🗣️ → Free-speech social network, no filters, no shadow bans.
Truth+ 📺 → Streaming platform for “non-woke” content, aligned with Newsmax.
Truth.Fi 💳 → Financial services play, enabling ETFs, crypto, and banking rails without relying on TradFi.
TMG CRO Strategy 💎 → Treasury division buying CRO tokens and staking them to fund ecosystem rewards and growth.
Together, they form a vertically integrated media + finance powerhouse — with crypto rails at the core.
The Big CRO Deal 💰
TMTG just acquired 684.4M CRO tokens, worth about $105M, through a 50/50 mix of cash and stock.
That’s roughly 2% of CRO’s circulating supply — a huge stake designed to:
Fund rewards across Truth Social and Truth+ 📲
Earn yield via CRO staking 🔗
Build an on-chain treasury that bypasses TradFi entirely 🏦✂️
This isn’t just a treasury play; it’s a power move to make CRO the backbone of Trump’s media-fintech empire.
Why It Matters 🚨
This signals a massive bet on DeFi rails over legacy finance.
By embedding CRO directly into its ecosystem, TMTG:
Gains financial independence from Big Banks ✅
Locks in rewards and incentives for its 8M+ users 🔄
Positions itself as one of the largest institutional CRO holders globally 🌐
For Trump Media, this isn’t just about crypto — it’s about building an entire parallel economy.
Looking Ahead 🔮
If this works, TMTG becomes more than a media company.
It evolves into a fully integrated, crypto-powered financial ecosystem — where social, streaming, payments, and rewards all run on-chain.
And with a $6.4B CRO treasury plan in motion, this is just the beginning. 🚀
Polymarket
Polymarket Returns with a Bang 🏈
Fresh off CFTC clearance, Polymarket pulled in over $600K in wagers on the Eagles vs. Cowboys NFL opener, tripling Betfair’s European volume.
With the green light to operate across all 50 states, Polymarket is stepping back into the arena at full speed.
Demand Was Cooling… Until Now 🔥
Peak moment: Polymarket hit $2B+ in volume during the U.S. election hype.
Then cooled: By August 2025, volume slowed to around $664M.
QCEX + CFTC = Legal Liftoff 🚀
Polymarket acquired QCEX for $112M, a licensed derivatives exchange.
The CFTC issued a no-action letter, easing regulatory constraints for event contracts.
Polymarket can now legally operate across the U.S., unlocking a massive growth lane.
Polymarket vs The Other Guys ⚡️
Prediction markets are heating up, but the landscape isn’t evenly stacked:
Polymarket 🟢
Volume: ~$1.16B traded in June alone, ~$7.74B YTD.
Access: Now fully cleared for U.S. operations after acquiring QCEX and receiving a CFTC no-action letter.
Why it matters: Regulatory clarity + big trading volumes = positioned to scale across retail and institutional flows.
Kalshi 🔵
Volume: ~$2B in sports-event trading volume over the past six months.
Access: Fully U.S.-regulated and operational nationwide.
Why it matters: Consistent sports-driven liquidity makes it the most entrenched CFTC-approved platform today.
FanDuel / DraftKings 🏈
Volume: Tens of billions in annual handle across state-by-state regulated sports betting.
Access: Dominant in traditional Web2 betting but locked behind fragmented state licenses.
Why it matters: Their reach dwarfs crypto-native platforms but lacks the speed, efficiency, and global potential of on-chain rails.
Polymarket’s edge lies in its blockchain-native design, offering instant trades, global liquidity, and diverse markets beyond sports.
Kalshi, while more regulated and polished, remains narrower in scope, focusing on U.S.-only, traditional events.
With both now CFTC-cleared, prediction markets are positioned to challenge the $107B Web2 sports betting industry, combining regulatory legitimacy with decentralized speed and transparency.
Why It Matters / Looking Ahead 🔮
Polymarket’s rebound signals a bigger shift. Crypto-native prediction markets are finding their way into the $107B U.S. sports betting industry.
With regulatory clarity and surging engagement on major events, Polymarket is quickly becoming the platform to watch.
Pump.fun
Pump.fun’s Creator Payout Boom 💸
Pump.fun just flipped the switch with Project Ascend and its new Dynamic Fees V1, and creators are cashing in.
What Changed: Fees are now tiered by token market cap. Smaller tokens pay around 1%, while high-cap tokens drop as low as 0.05%.
Why It Matters: Under the old flat-fee model, creators had little reason to stick around after a launch, fueling endless pump-and-dump cycles. Now, bigger rewards come as tokens grow, pushing creators to maintain communities, build utilities, and sustain momentum.
The Numbers 🔢
Before: Around $198K in daily creator fees
After: Over $2.1M in the first 24 hours, a 10x surge 🔥
Why It Matters / Looking Ahead 🔮
By tying earnings to project performance, Pump.fun is shifting its ecosystem from short-term speculation to long-term sustainability. This moves the platform closer to becoming a creator economy engine, not just a meme coin casino.
If adoption holds, Pump.fun could evolve into the go-to platform for serious token launches, bridging speculative hype with sticky, community-driven growth.
Wrap Up ✌
✨ Crypto’s no longer waiting for clarity, it’s building through it.
Regulators are syncing up, capital is flowing, and the lines between finance, media, and code are disappearing fast.
From on-chain treasuries to AI trading agents to stablecoin banking rails, this week proved one thing: the future isn’t coming, it’s already shipping.
And the ones moving fastest are the ones writing the rules.✨
