The cryptocurrency sector continues to draw the attention of institutional investors, evidenced by increased investments in infrastructure and a heightened interest in Bitcoin as an investment asset. Key recent events include:

1. Wormhole, a cross-chain protocol, completed a funding round of $225 million, reaching a valuation of $2.5 billion. Contributors included Brevan Howard, Coinbase Ventures, Multicoin Capital, and others. An official initiative, Wormhole Labs, was also announced, focusing on the development of inter-network products and tools.

2. Babylon, a project focused on Bitcoin staking, attracted $18 million in Series A funding. Major investors included Polychain Capital and Hack VC. The funds will be used to develop Proof-of-Stake mechanisms and enhance blockchain security.

3. Coinchange, a decentralized financial platform (DeFi), completed a Series B funding round of $10 million, aiming to expand its services and attract new clients.

4. Shadow, a platform for reducing Ethereum development costs, raised $9 million in a seed round. Key investors included Paradigm, Coinbase Ventures, and the Ethereum Foundation. The company is developing products to provide accurate and current data on the state of public blockchains.

These events underscore the growing interest and investment in the cryptocurrency market from major institutional players.