CeFi Dominance Drives 149% Surge in July Crypto Fundraising

Woofun AI reports that centralized finance (CeFi) captured the lion’s share of capital during a sharp market rebound in July, driven by RootData’s tracking of renewed institutional appetite.

Aggregate fundraising figures climbed to $2.235 billion across 46 deals, representing a 148.9% increase from the $889 million recorded in June. This substantial month-over-month growth underscores a decisive pivot in investor behavior despite persistent broader market volatility.

Woofun AI data shows that structurally, CeFi secured $1.23 billion through nine deals, accounting for more than half of all monthly inflows. Infrastructure followed with $413 million across 12 deals, reflecting sustained demand for blockchain scalability, interoperability, and developer tooling essential for next-generation decentralized applications.

Notably, decentralized finance (DeFi) underperformed significantly, raising only $34.25 million across 11 deals. This disparity highlights a retreat from experimental protocols amid regulatory uncertainty and security concerns, particularly as MiCA in Europe and potential U.S. legislation reshape compliance expectations.

The concentration of capital in CeFi suggests investors are prioritizing stability and institutional integration over speculative innovation. After a sluggish first half of the year, this trend indicates that tangible traction, compliance readiness, and robust risk management are now prerequisites for securing funding in a maturing market.