Maple Finance’s Asian Expansion Plans Gain Momentum with $5 Million Investment
Maple Finance, the blockchain-based credit marketplace, is turning its attention towards the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region as it embarks on a strategic expansion initiative fueled by a $5 million investment round. The funding drive, spearheaded by BlockTower Capital and Tioga Capital, has also drawn support from prominent backers including Cherry Ventures, The Spartan Group, GSR Ventures, and Veris Ventures. Notably, previous investors Maven 11 and Framework Ventures have also reinvested in the platform.
CEO Sidney Powell emphasized the significance of this funding round in Maple Finance’s growth trajectory. Powell stated, “This funding round marks a pivotal moment in our evolution as we embark on a strategic expansion into the APAC region as part of a comprehensive growth plan for Maple.” The company aims to leverage these resources to enhance its technology and establish partnerships that facilitate compliant and seamless lending and borrowing activities across key APAC markets, including Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea.
Maple’s strategic focus on the APAC region underscores the rising importance of this area within the digital asset landscape. While the regulatory environment for crypto firms remains uncertain in certain jurisdictions, many APAC countries have taken proactive steps to provide a clear framework for these entities. Hong Kong, for instance, has recently issued licenses to trading platforms under its new crypto regulatory regime, and Singapore’s central bank has unveiled a regulatory framework for stablecoins.
The timing of this expansion coincides with Maple Finance’s recovery from the crypto market upheaval of the previous year, which resulted from the collapse of FTX. This incident led to a significant accumulation of distressed loans totaling $54 million on the Maple platform. However, the company has rebounded since then, introducing a blockchain-based U.S. Treasuries facility in April. This facility has garnered $22 million in deposits thus far. Additionally, in June, Maple launched a direct lending arm targeting web3 firms. Currently, the total value locked on the Maple platform stands at $88 million, a decrease from its peak of $938 million in May of the prior year, according to DefiLlama.
Return to Solana
In another strategic move, Maple Finance has rekindled its utilization of the Solana (SOL) network after an eight-month hiatus. This reinstatement enables the expansion of its stablecoin cash management services to the Solana network. Key Solana-based protocols, including Solend, Drift, and UXD Protocol, have committed to deposit funds into Maple’s offering. Previously exclusive to the Ethereum network, this facility empowers accredited investors, companies, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to invest their idle stablecoin holdings in one-month U.S. Treasury bills, yielding an annual return of 4-5%. This initiative has successfully attracted $22 million in deposits since its launch in April, according to the platform’s data dashboard.
This reintegration into the Solana network signifies Maple Finance’s return following a temporary halt in lending activities on the platform in December. The pause was a result of substantial technological adjustments undertaken in response to the collapse of FTX. Now, with renewed vigor and a strengthened strategic outlook, Maple Finance is poised to capitalize on the growth opportunities within the APAC region while also broadening its offerings on the Solana network.
