Similarly, in September, Singapore-based exchange MEXC announced a $300 million fund focused on supporting early-stage blockchain technologies. MEXC first announced the plan during Token2049 in Dubai. This decision is a testament to their long-term interest in powering innovation in public chains, wallets, and other decentralized infrastructure. The fund will prioritize early stage projects with great potential to define the future of upstream crypto infrastructure.

This new fund comes on the heels of a series of earlier investments by MEXC. In February 2025, they put $20 million into USDe, a DeFi-native synthetic dollar from Ethena Labs, and an additional $16 million directly into Ethena Labs. That’s a sign that there is a strategic leaning towards DeFi-native projects.

Strategic Investment Approach

Unlike many federal funding opportunities, the $300 million fund will not work through open applications. Rather, MEXC will take the approach of being very selective and going by invitation only.

In Jin’s view, the old “fill out a form, get some money” approach won’t fly in 2025. From their perspective, the projects need to be tuneful attention grabbers and show concrete potential value creation to get past MEXC’s small intrepid investment team.

"A project that can’t make itself known or find a way to present to MEXC’s investment team is unlikely to earn our attention," - Jin

Focus on Stablecoins and DeFi

MEXC places a high value on stablecoins as they play a crucial role in ensuring stable pricing of the cryptocurrency market. Their role is integral to creating great trading experiences. This strategic direction is particularly relevant to MEXC’s recent investment in USDe and Ethena Labs, underscoring the exchange’s assertive push toward DeFi innovation.

In a fireside chat at the Token2049 conference in Dubai on April 30, Jin touted the critical role stablecoins play. This deepens MEXC’s strategic layout in the global cryptocurrency track.

"We are committed to strategic investment, focusing not just on exciting ideas and talented developers, but on initiatives with clear long-term potential," - MEXC chief operating officer Tracy Jin

MEXC's Market Position

MEXC trade has already done over $3.2 billion in the last 24 hours. It’s the seventh largest cryptocurrency exchange by spot trading volume.

MEXC, along with Binance and KuCoin, was one of the exchanges that suffered service outages during the recent AWS network disruption. MEXC remains one of the important players in the cryptocurrency industry.

"We may accelerate the investment pace if a project aligns well with our current business priorities. Otherwise, we will proceed steadily according to the original plan." - Jin