Keyrock
Keyrock is a Belgian crypto infrastructure company founded in Brussels in 2017. It operates as an institutional market maker for digital assets, providing liquidity, OTC trading, options, asset management and onchain solutions for professional clients.
Europe's most interesting startup stories. Every week.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Podcast Episode
๐๏ธ Deep Dive
EP53 - Unicorn Files - Keyrock: The Invisible Infrastructure of Crypto Liquidity
Listen to the episodeAbout Keyrock
Keyrock was founded in Brussels in 2017 around a simple but powerful thesis: a digital asset does not become a real market just because it is listed on an exchange. To become a market, it needs liquidity, order book depth, sustainable spreads and stable execution. The company was founded by Kevin de Patoul, Jeremy de Groodt and Juan David Mendieta to bring part of traditional finance's market infrastructure into crypto: algorithmic market making, risk management, 24/7 trading and coordinated access across fragmented venues. Over time, Keyrock expanded from market making into OTC services, options, DEX liquidity, asset management and onchain products. Its typical client is not the retail user, but token issuers, exchanges, protocols, funds, family offices and institutional counterparties that need to execute digital asset transactions without excessive slippage or fragmented liquidity. The first major turning point came in 2022, when Keyrock closed a $72 million Series B during the crypto winter. The company stated that its trading volumes had grown 3x in the previous year while the broader market had contracted. In 2026, perception shifted again: a Series C led by SC Ventures, with continued support from Ripple, brought Keyrock to an approximately $1.1 billion valuation. Keyrock matters because it captures a new phase of European crypto: less speculative storytelling, more market infrastructure. In a regulatory environment shaped by MiCA, local registrations and rising institutional interest, the ability to combine technology, capital, compliance and execution quality becomes a real competitive advantage.
The Story
Keyrock was founded in Brussels in 2017 by Kevin de Patoul, Jeremy de Groodt and Juan David Mendieta. The founding insight was that crypto did not only need new tokens, but real market infrastructure: continuous quotes, reliable liquidity, risk management and the ability to operate across fragmented venues.
How Keyrock works
Business Model
B2B financial infrastructure company for digital assets, working with exchanges, token issuers, protocols, funds and institutional counterparties.
Revenue Model
Revenue from market making spreads, OTC services, trading solutions, options, asset management and professional services for institutional clients.
Products & Services
Key Products
- Market making
- OTC trading
- Options desk
- Onchain liquidity
- Asset & Wealth Management
- Validator services
Core Use Cases
- Fornire liquiditร a token issuer ed exchange
- Ridurre spread e slippage nei mercati digital asset
- Gestire esecuzioni OTC per controparti istituzionali
- Supportare strategie di liquiditร onchain e DEX
- Offrire esposizione gestita agli asset digitali
Market & Clients
Key Customers
Token issuers, crypto exchanges, DeFi protocols, brokers, funds, family offices, institutional investors and qualified counterparties.
Geographic Presence
How Keyrock competes
Competitors
Competitive Advantages
- Proprietary market making infrastructure
- Connectivity across multiple venues and exchanges
- Specialisation in digital asset markets
- Regulatory credentials across several jurisdictions
- European positioning in an increasingly regulated market
How Keyrock grows
Growth Strategy
Expand from market making into a broader institutional digital asset platform, including OTC, options, asset management and onchain products.
Distribution Model
Direct B2B sales to token issuers, exchanges, protocols and institutional counterparties; strategic partnerships with financial and crypto-native operators.
Moat (Defensibility)
The competitive advantage comes from the combination of proprietary algorithms, trading capital, relationships with venues and institutional clients, local regulatory registrations and the ability to manage liquidity across fragmented markets.
Regulatory Context
Keyrock operates in an evolving European regulatory environment, with MiCA as the central framework. It has obtained relevant local registrations or authorisations, including Enhanced PSAN in France and FCA registration in the UK, but these should not be treated as equivalent to a full pan-European MiCA licence.
Key Risks
- Regulatory risk and fragmentation across jurisdictions
- Inventory risk and market volatility
- Operational risk linked to exchanges, custody and settlement
- Smart contract risk for onchain activity
- Perceived conflict of interest between market making and asset management
- Liquidity evaporation during bear markets
Strategic Insights
- Liquidity is an infrastructure product, not just a consequence of trading volume.
- Compliance can become a go-to-market lever in regulated markets.
- Expanding from market making into a broader platform increases value per client.
- Fragmentation across exchanges, DEXs and OTC markets creates room for operators that can aggregate execution and risk.
Funding & Investors
Latest Valuation
Funding Rounds
- 2022 - Series B: $72M
- 2026 - Series C: Undisclosed
Lead: SC Ventures
Key Investors
Founding Team
Founders
Key Executives
- Kevin de Patoul - CEO
- Jeremy de Groodt - CTO
- Juan David Mendieta - CSO
Key Metrics
Lessons from Keyrock
- Invisible problems can be huge when they are measurable and mission-critical.
- In regulated sectors, trust and licensing can matter as much as product.
- A strong initial wedge can become a platform if it generates data, distribution and institutional relationships.
- In complex markets, selling an operational outcome can be more powerful than selling a single feature.
Similar Startups
Qover
Insurtech platform offering quick, digital insurance solutions for individuals and SMEs through a simple interface.
Read AnalysisWeGroup
All-in-one insurance pre-sales distribution platform delivering unprecedented productivity for brokers, covering advisory, analysis, follow-up, and underwriting.
Read AnalysisZeal Robotics
Zeal Robotics develops advanced robotic solutions for industrial automation.
Read AnalysisSources
- Our company — Keyrock
- Keyrock Secures Series C Funding From SC Ventures — Keyrock
- Keyrock closes $72 million Series B Fundraise — Keyrock
- Market making — Keyrock
- OTC trading — Keyrock
- Keyrock Achieves FCA Registration — Keyrock
- KEYROCK FR SAS - White list — AMF
- Keyrock Launches Asset & Wealth Management — Keyrock
- Growing our onchain reach: Keyrock acquires fija — Keyrock