Grayscale Partners With Republic to Expand Access to DeFi and AI Crypto Funds

Grayscale has partnered with Republic to offer three cryptocurrency investment funds covering decentralized finance, artificial intelligence, and blockchain data networks, with eligible investors able to participate starting at $2,500.

Republic and Grayscale Offer Three Crypto Investment Funds

Grayscale announced the partnership on October 15, confirming that Republic will distribute three selected investment products. The Grayscale DeFi Fund, Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund and Grayscale Data Network Trust are all included in the offering.

Eligible investors can access the funds through Republic’s platform without the need to purchase or store the underlying cryptocurrencies directly. However, the products remain available exclusively to qualified investors and carry risks associated with private investments.

Republic co-CEO Andrew Durgee said the agreement provides access to funds typically available to institutional investors. He confirmed that investors could participate with a “minimum investment of just $2,500.”

The partnership comes after the landmark developments in regulated cryptocurrency investments, such as Franklin Templeton’s talks with the SEC on investment fund rules. On October 12, the asset manager held a meeting with regulators on the Investment Company Act (ICA) to discuss digital asset products.

Grayscale DeFi and AI Funds Include Major Crypto Tokens

The Grayscale DeFi Fund, ticker: DEFG, is a fund that owns six digital assets related to decentralized financial services. It supports trading, lending, and staking applications for its portfolio such as UNI, AAVE, ONDO, ENA, CRV, and LDO.

Meanwhile, the Grayscale Decentralized AI Fund holds NEAR, TAO, RENDER and FIL, as per its public holdings. Tokens are designed to facilitate blockchain applications related to computing resources, artificial intelligence, and decentralized data storage.

The third product is Grayscale Data Network Trust, which gives exposure to DATA, the native coin of the DATA Network. The blockchain is used to document the ownership of the data, the licensing terms, and payments for the use of data to train AI models.

Republic Sets $2,500 Minimum Investment for Eligible Investors

Republic’s investment platform lists a $2,500 minimum investment across the three products. All U.S. participants must meet requirements of the accredited investor, including applicable income, wealth, or professional qualification requirements.

Grayscale’s new distribution deal comes on the heels of the increased access to regulated cryptocurrency funds in international markets. Recently, Hong Kong’s second spot Solana ETF entered the market with a 0.6% management fee.

Unlike publicly traded exchange-traded funds, the three Republic offerings are private placements that do not trade on public exchanges. Grayscale warns that these securities carry limited liquidity and the possibility of losing the entire investment.

For more options, traders can explore the best institutional crypto custody providers for digital assets, tokenized securities and RWAs in 2026.