SenseTime considers blockchain technology and stablecoins following a $320 million funding round
Hong Kong-based AI giant SenseTime has secured a significant capital raise of approximately HK$2.5 billion ($320 million), with 20% of the funds allocated towards blockchain, stablecoins, real-world assets (RWA), and AI-integrated robotics. This strategic move reflects a growing interest in the synergies between AI and blockchain technologies.
The funds from the current placement will complement the previous efforts, with the previous funds being used to enhance AI cloud infrastructure and support the development of large-scale generative AI models.
In December 2024, SenseTime raised HK$2.787 billion through a placement of nearly 1.9 billion shares. The latest capital raise, through a placement of 1.667 billion new Class B shares, stands at a net proceeds of approximately HK$2.498 billion after fees. The new share issue price is HK$1.50. The subscription accounts for approximately 4.5% of the company's total issued shares.
Infini Capital, a long-term investor, has agreed to back the subscription. Guotai Junan Securities and CLSA Securities acted as placing agents. This is SenseTime's second major fundraising in under a year.
SenseTime's new focus is on positioning itself at the intersection of AI and decentralized finance (DeFi). The company aims to leverage AI's data intelligence to enhance blockchain's decentralized, transparent infrastructure, potentially transforming financial services and intelligent automation sectors.
By combining AI with blockchain’s tokenization capabilities, SenseTime aims to facilitate intelligent management, trading, and verification of tokenized real-world assets, enhancing liquidity and transparency in digital financial markets. AI can also analyze and monitor blockchain transactions and on-chain activities in real time to ensure regulatory compliance, reduce fraud, and automate complex reporting processes, which is crucial for the stablecoins and digital financial instruments SenseTime plans to develop.
Integrating AI’s powerful pattern recognition and predictive analytics with blockchain’s immutable transaction records allows for more accurate real-time data analysis, risk assessment, and decision-making support for DeFi and other blockchain ecosystems. Furthermore, by deploying AI in robotics and combining it with blockchain’s secure, transparent data management, SenseTime could pioneer innovations with secure, autonomous intelligent machines whose actions and data can be reliably recorded and audited on-chain.
SenseTime’s pivot signals a strategic fusion of AI and Web3 technologies, positioning the company to capitalize on emerging token economies and on-chain AI applications specifically tailored to the Chinese tech landscape. The company plans to establish partnerships and obtain necessary regulatory qualifications for these ventures.
[1] Source: SenseTime press release, 2025.
- SenseTime, a Hong Kong-based AI giant, has allocated 20% of its recently raised funds towards the development of blockchain, stablecoins, real-world assets, and AI-integrated robotics, reflecting a growing interest in the synergies between AI and blockchain technologies.
- By combining AI with blockchain’s tokenization capabilities, SenseTime aims to facilitate intelligent management, trading, and verification of tokenized real-world assets, enhancing liquidity and transparency in digital financial markets.
- Integrating AI’s powerful pattern recognition and predictive analytics with blockchain’s immutable transaction records allows for more accurate real-time data analysis, risk assessment, and decision-making support for DeFi and other blockchain ecosystems.
- SenseTime’s pivot signals a strategic fusion of AI and Web3 technologies, positioning the company to capitalize on emerging token economies and on-chain AI applications specifically tailored to the Chinese tech landscape.
