SC Ventures and SBI Group Back Soter Insure to Scale Digital Asset Protection

Soter Insure has secured strategic investment from SC Ventures and SBI Group in a second close of its Series B funding round. This backing from major global financial institutions addresses a critical capacity gap in the digital asset market, providing the specialized coverage necessary for banks and asset managers to apply institutional risk standards to cryptocurrency and blockchain-based assets.

What was announced

Soter Insure, a specialist insurer focused on the digital asset economy, has added SC Ventures—the innovation and ventures arm of Standard Chartered—and Japanese financial giant SBI Group to its Series B investor roster. This follows a first close in July 2026 led by Galaxy, which included participation from Coinbase Ventures, Franklin Templeton, and Brevan Howard Digital. Token Bay Capital, a backer since the company's Series A, also provided follow-on investment in this latest close.

The capital is earmarked for several strategic initiatives, including the expansion of insurance capacity and the enhancement of underwriting and technological capabilities. Soter Insure plans to grow its presence in mature and emerging digital asset markets, specifically targeting the Asia-Pacific region through its Hong Kong operations, as well as Europe and the United States. The company notes that insurance capacity remains a missing piece for institutional participation, as banks cannot scale without the same risk protections used in other asset classes.

The company’s product suite is designed for financial institutions and includes Directors & Officers (D&O), Professional Indemnity (PI), Crime, Specie, Slashing, and Smart Contract Failure coverage. Notably, these products are uniquely denominated in both traditional fiat and native digital assets, allowing for more precise risk management in the crypto space. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating from Bermuda, the firm maintains a global footprint with offices in London, New York, and Dubai.

The companies involved

Soter Insure was incubated by Further Ventures and WebN Group to solve the insurance bottleneck in the digital asset sector. The company operates within a complex regulatory landscape, utilizing its Bermuda-based operations to provide specialized coverage. The firm's presence in key financial hubs like London, New York, and Dubai allows it to interface directly with the global banking and insurance markets it seeks to serve.

SC Ventures, the investment and innovation arm of Standard Chartered, focuses on disruptive technologies that reshape banking and financial services. SBI Group is a major Japanese financial services company with a significant presence in the digital asset ecosystem, often acting as a bridge between traditional finance and emerging blockchain technologies. The funding round also features prominent names from both the crypto and traditional finance sectors. Galaxy is a diversified financial services and investment management firm in the digital asset space, while Coinbase Ventures is the venture arm of the leading US cryptocurrency exchange. Franklin Templeton, a global investment management firm with over $1.5 trillion in assets under management, also participated in the initial close, reflecting the growing intersection of asset management and blockchain technology.

What this means from an insurtech perspective

This announcement moves the needle by addressing the primary bottleneck for institutional digital asset adoption: the lack of specialized insurance capacity. For carriers and reinsurers, the involvement of Standard Chartered and SBI Group signals that digital asset risk is becoming a standard requirement for institutional portfolios rather than a niche experiment. The introduction of policies denominated in native digital assets presents a significant challenge to legacy core-system modernization, as traditional platforms are rarely equipped to handle non-fiat claims or premiums. Brokers and MGAs are now under pressure to develop technical expertise in smart contract failure and slashing risks to avoid being sidelined by specialized, tech-heavy competitors who can underwrite these complex exposures.