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Market data

How startup money is moving.

Figures from the world, Europe and Spain, and the headlines that matter, on investment, crypto and regulation. Third-party data, updated every quarter.

Q3 2026 in four numbers. Global startup investment according to Crunchbase.

The quarter was the weakest of the year, yet still beat every quarter since 2022. What stands out most is where the money went.

159billion dollars invested in startups in the third quarter
64 %of that money went to artificial intelligence companies
27rounds of over a billion in a single quarter, a record
679billion invested so far this year, an all-time high for that period

More capital, fewer hands

Almost 6,000 startups were funded in the quarter, but 27 giant rounds took a large share of the total.

Early stage is growing too

Early-stage rounds totalled $40.6bn, up 25% year on year. Seed reached $13bn.

AI changes everything

$102bn went to AI companies. Outside AI, raising a round is considerably harder.

Europe, its best quarter in four years. $25 billion, up 77%.

75% went to artificial intelligence, the highest share on record. And money no longer stays only in the UK: Germany and France are close behind, and Spain is having its best quarter since the COVID years.

Startup investment by country · Q3 2026$25bn
+77 %
United Kingdom7.5 bn $
Germany5 bn $
France4.8 bn $
Spain1.2 bn $

Spain: a record year, but concentrated. Big rounds pull the total up; the rest, not so much.

Data from the Bankinter Startup Observatory, January to September 2026.

All of 2025
€3.1bn
January–September 2026
€3.8bn
+49 %more investment than the same period of 2025
67 %of the total goes to 16 rounds above €50M
−8 %drop in investment once those mega-rounds are removed
≈ €2Mmillion euros is the average ticket for the rest of the rounds
What this means for Krows. Money reaches those raising 50 million. A project that needs €50,000 faces the same cost of organising a round and has fewer options. That is what small rounds with milestones and an investor-protecting treasury are for.

Digital money is already infrastructure. Stablecoins and tokenized assets, in figures.

Krows investors invest with stablecoins from their wallet. This is what that market looks like today.

303.6billion dollars in stablecoins in circulation (Oct 13)
72.6billion of it is USDC, the regulated stablecoin Krows uses
≈ 39billion in tokenized real-world assets, excluding stablecoins
65 %of daily tokenized equities volume went through Solana one day in October

MiCA, fully in force

The transition period ended on July 1, 2026. The EU is now debating direct ESMA supervision of the largest providers.

Stablecoins under scrutiny

ESMA has told licensed firms to stop dealing with stablecoins that do not comply with MiCA, with three months to wind down.

Solana in front

It is the network where tokenized equities move most today. Krows keeps each round's treasury on it.

See treasury

Headlines. What is happening in investment, crypto and regulation.

Updated October 14, 2026

ApplicantesEl año récord de las startups españolas se sustenta en 16 pelotazosapplicantes.comBenzingaTokenized Real-World Assets Reach $39B With Only Two Dominant Playersbenzinga.comCryptoSlateEU targets MiCA loophole that lets crypto exchanges serve 27 countries with one licensecryptoslate.comTechlaMothium cierra una ronda de financiación de 1 millón de euros con Fundalogy y Arcano Partnerstechla.proThe CryptonomistESMA's stablecoin regulation urges firms to halt services for non-compliant tokenscryptonomist.chCrypto BriefingSolana captures 65% of tokenized equities volume, leads blockchain marketcryptobriefing.comCrunchbase NewsEurope Posted Its Strongest Quarter In Q3 In 4 Years, As Its Venture Ecosystem Expands Beyond The UKnews.crunchbase.comCrunchbase NewsNorth America's Startup Funding Falls In Q3 As AI Giants Eye The Public Marketsnews.crunchbase.comCrowdfund InsiderGlobal Venture Capital is Having a Gangbuster Yearcrowdfundinsider.com

Original headlines from each outlet, linking to the full story. They refresh automatically every 30 minutes.

Sources

Third-party data as of October 14, 2026. Krows does not guarantee its accuracy and it is not investment advice.

Frequently asked questions About this data.

Where does this data come from?

From public reports by Crunchbase, the Bankinter Startup Observatory, stablecoin trackers and the RWA Foundation. Every figure links to its source at the bottom of the page.

How often is it updated?

Figures every quarter, when the reports come out. Headlines refresh automatically every 30 minutes.

Is this investment advice?

No. It is context on how startup and digital-asset investment is moving. Krows does not recommend investments.

Why is there no Krows data?

Because the board has not opened yet. Once rounds are live, this page will also show how Krows rounds are progressing.

Keep exploring

ExploreThe Krows boardOpening very soon. Sign up to be the first to know.Read more ProductMilestonesWhy a round's money is released in parts.Read more ProductTreasuryA treasury on Solana with no private key.Read more