Tenbin Labs, a New York startup building tokenized real-world assets, has closed a $7 million seed round led by Galaxy Ventures, the venture arm of Galaxy Digital. The company says it aims to create institutional-grade tokenized products that track real-world prices more closely, settle quickly and generate yield for users. Yuki Yuminaga, co-founder and CEO, frames the project as an attempt to make tokenized assets function better than their traditional counterparts.
Overview of Tenbin Labs and Its Mission
Tenbin focuses on tokenized assets designed for faster settlement, deeper liquidity and better usability than many existing onchain wrappers. According to CEO Yuminaga, the goal is not just to put assets onchain but to improve their core characteristics so they become more liquid and more usable. For background on tokenization concepts and how they differ from simple onchain representations, see what tokenization is.
Details of the $7 Million Investment
The seed round was led by Galaxy Ventures, with backing from investors including Wintermute Ventures, GSR, Variant, Archetype and FalconX. Galaxy Ventures is the venture capital arm associated with Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital, which led the round. The funding is presented as support for Tenbin’s approach to building yield-bearing, price-anchored tokenized assets.
Innovations in Tenbin’s Tokenized Assets
Rather than using custody-based wrappers, Tenbin uses CME futures contracts to anchor pricing and to manage exposure. This structure is intended to let the protocol track real-world prices more closely while capturing yield from futures basis, with that yield passed through to token holders. The design also emphasizes fast minting and redemption, low fees under most conditions, and compatibility with decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.
Upcoming Products and Market Strategy
Tenbin plans to launch a tokenized gold asset in early 2026, with support from prime brokers such as Hidden Road and StoneX. After the gold product, the company intends to introduce FX-denominated tokens covering emerging market currencies like the Brazilian real and the Mexican peso. For context on other institutional tokenization efforts, see institutional tokenized deposits.
Why this matters
For a miner in Russia running from a single device to a small farm, Tenbin’s development does not change mining equipment, electricity costs or local regulations. At the same time, the rollout of yield-bearing tokenized assets could widen the set of onchain tools available to convert mining revenue into assets that aim to track real-world prices and generate carry. That means miners who already engage with DeFi might see more options for holding or transforming proceeds without relying on local banking rails.
What to do?
- Follow product launches: watch for Tenbin’s tokenized gold launch in early 2026 to understand mechanics and custody/settlement flows before using it.
- Assess compatibility: if you use DeFi, check whether new tokens are easily moved across protocols and how minting/redemption works for your needs.
- Consider yield vs. risk: tokenized assets that capture futures basis offer yield but come with different risks than holding spot assets or fiat; evaluate that before allocating mining proceeds.
- Stay informed on custody and broker support: note which prime brokers back a product, since that affects institutional integration and liquidity.
Further reading
If you want a primer on tokenization mechanics, see what tokenization is. For examples of institutional tokenization solutions, review coverage of institutional tokenized deposits.
