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Former FTX U.S. President Raises $35 Million to Build Institutional Multi-Asset Trading Platform

Former FTX U.S. president Brett Harrison has secured $35 million in new funding for his startup, Architect Financial Technologies, as the company works to build an institutional-grade trading platform spanning derivatives, equities, futures, and digital assets.

The funding round, reported this week by The Information and reviewed by Hokanews, reflects renewed investor interest in sophisticated market infrastructure that bridges traditional finance and crypto markets. The round included participation from major financial and crypto-focused firms, signaling continued appetite for trading platforms aimed at professional market participants.

Source: theinformation

Backed by Major Financial and Crypto Players

According to the report, investors in the latest round include Miax, Tioga Capital, ARK Investment, Galaxy, and VanEck.

Source: Xpost

The new funding follows an earlier $12 million round in 2024, which included backing from Coinbase Ventures, Circle Ventures, SALT Fund, and other strategic investors.

Combined, the capital injections provide Architect with significant resources to accelerate platform development and expand regulatory coverage as it targets institutional traders globally.

Regulatory Approval in Bermuda Marks Key Milestone

Architect has already secured regulatory approval in Bermuda, allowing the company to offer perpetual futures contracts tied to traditional financial assets, including equities, commodities, and foreign exchange.

Perpetual futures, which do not have expiration dates, were first popularized in cryptocurrency markets by BitMEX and later became a core product at FTX prior to its collapse in late 2022.

By extending perpetual futures beyond crypto into traditional asset classes, Architect aims to create a unified derivatives platform that mirrors institutional trading workflows while leveraging innovations developed in digital asset markets.

Targeting Professional and Institutional Traders

Architect’s platform is explicitly designed for professional and institutional users rather than retail traders. According to the company, the system will support algorithmic trading, advanced risk management, and multi-asset derivatives trading across both traditional and digital markets.

Harrison has emphasized that institutions increasingly want consolidated infrastructure that allows them to manage exposure across asset classes without relying on fragmented platforms. Architect’s goal is to offer a single venue where traders can deploy capital across futures, derivatives, equities, and crypto-linked products using familiar tools.

Market analysts say this approach reflects growing institutional demand for efficiency, capital optimization, and consistent risk controls across diverse markets.

Expansion Plans Beyond Bermuda

While Bermuda serves as Architect’s initial regulatory base, the company plans to expand into additional jurisdictions, including Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. These markets represent significant pools of institutional trading activity and are increasingly open to regulated digital asset innovation.

Harrison’s team believes that global demand for derivatives trading infrastructure will continue to grow as institutions seek more sophisticated ways to hedge risk, manage volatility, and access new asset classes.

Regulatory expansion will be critical to Architect’s long-term strategy, particularly as jurisdictions refine frameworks for derivatives tied to both traditional securities and digital assets.

Derivatives Dominate Global Financial Markets

Derivatives represent the largest segment of global financial markets by a wide margin. The notional value of outstanding contracts across over-the-counter and exchange-traded derivatives is measured in the hundreds of trillions of dollars, far exceeding global GDP.

In a February report, S&P Global noted that while derivatives markets continue to evolve, liquidity remains a central challenge across many asset classes. Investors increasingly prioritize platforms offering deep liquidity, efficient price discovery, and tight bid-ask spreads.

Source: Spglobal

Architect’s strategy aims to address these challenges by building institutional-grade infrastructure designed for scale rather than speculative retail flows.

Crypto Derivatives and Market Volatility

Within the cryptocurrency sector, derivatives play an even more dominant role. Estimates suggest that 75% to 80% of total crypto trading volume now comes from derivatives products, including futures and perpetual contracts.

This dominance has also amplified market volatility. On October 10, the crypto market experienced its largest liquidation event on record, wiping out approximately $19 billion in positions in a single day. The event highlighted both the power and the risks of leverage-heavy derivatives markets.

Architect’s leadership argues that better infrastructure, risk controls, and institutional participation can help reduce systemic risk while improving market resilience.

Rebuilding Trust After FTX

Harrison’s involvement inevitably draws comparisons to his time at FTX, where derivatives products played a central role before the exchange’s collapse. Since then, investor confidence in crypto trading infrastructure has been slow to recover.

However, backers of Architect see the startup as part of a broader industry reset, emphasizing regulatory compliance, transparency, and institutional-grade safeguards. The participation of traditional asset managers and exchanges in the funding round suggests a willingness to re-engage with the sector under more disciplined conditions.

Bridging Traditional Finance and Digital Assets

Architect’s long-term vision is to serve as a bridge between traditional finance and digital assets. As institutional investors increasingly explore tokenized assets, crypto-linked derivatives, and alternative market structures, demand for unified trading platforms is expected to grow.

Harrison has positioned Architect as a response to that demand, aiming to combine the speed and flexibility of crypto-native systems with the controls and reliability expected by institutional traders.

Conclusion

Architect Financial Technologies’ $35 million funding round marks a notable vote of confidence in the future of institutional trading infrastructure that spans both traditional and digital markets. Backed by major financial and crypto investors, the company is positioning itself at the intersection of derivatives innovation and institutional demand.

As global markets continue to evolve and derivatives remain central to financial activity, platforms like Architect may play a growing role in shaping how institutions trade, hedge, and manage risk across asset classes.

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