Crypto Startup That Trades Virtual Versions of Real World Assets Aims to Subvert Banks

Morpher secured the backing of venture capitalist Tim Draper

article-image

Source: Blockworks

share

key takeaways

  • The platform has its own native token, MPH
  • Morpher now has more than 50,000 monthly users and has settled more than 1 million trades

A blockchain-based platform for trading synthetic exposures to real-world assets has earned the backing of venture capitalist Tim Draper as the firm builds out its business.

Austria-based Morpher raised a $6 million Series A round led by Draper Associates, with participation from RTP Ventures and APEX Ventures, Morpher CEO Martin Froehler told Blockworks. The round brings the startup to a post-money valuation of $33 million.

Morpher employs the Ethereum blockchain to create virtual versions of stocks, commodities and currencies — without having to hold the underlying asset or transact through intermediaries. One potential application, Froehler said, would be to create an index of housing prices within a specific zip code in the US, without owning any of the property outright.

The trades are executed in the company’s virtual currency, MPH, which the company mines to turn a profit. The company operates its own non-custodial wallet. The idea is to democratize access to investments for those outside of or underserved by traditional capital markets.

“In a nutshell, it’s about access to the markets and liquidity in the markets,” Froehler said.

The platform now has more than 50,000 active monthly users from 100 countries and has executed more than 1 million trades. Froehler plans to use part of the fresh capital to hire eight new staffers on the product and marketing front, aiming to bring staff size to 20 by year-end from its current 12 employees. A mobile app is also in the works.

The plan is to also roll out investments in exotic corners of the financial markets, such as the spot price of cannabis. Morpher doesn’t charge fees on its trades but profits from its tokens.

Froehler, a former quantitative hedge fund manager, said the intent is to ease some of the pain points of traditional finance by offering 24/7, commission-less trades.

“Regardless of where you are in the food chain, trading is always burdensome,” he said. “It is costly. And it is very unfair.”


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

  • Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
  • Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
  • Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
  • 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
  • Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
  • The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
Tags

Upcoming Events

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (5).png

Research

Outside of stablecoins, the value of tokenized assets sits below $20B, dominated by the following asset classes: private credit, US Treasuries, commodities, institutional alternative funds, stocks, non-US government debt, and corporate bonds. In the coming months, we see the greatest opportunities in the tokenization of illiquid markets, particularly private equity. However, the successful integration of offchain assets into blockchain ecosystems relies heavily on clear and consistent regulatory frameworks, with purpose-built infrastructure to support it.

article-image

Coinbase Asset Management and One River CEO Eric Peters explains why crypto’s not yet focused on fundamentals

article-image

Over the past 24 hours, PumpSwap’s largest liquidity pool by volume contains tokens with the tickers DOGEMOON and ballscoin

article-image

10T Holdings’ Dan Tapiero predicts crypto listings on exchanges are a “mini step” for value moving onchain

article-image

The S&P 500 was mostly flat after a month of losses, and the Nasdaq has been slowly gaining

article-image

Movement Labs is once again at the core of some criticism after it declined to name a market maker offboarded by Binance

article-image

Experts discuss the future of crypto ETFs as Trump puts “money where his mouth is”