Mantle Network Launches MI4, a Institutional-Grade Digital Asset Index Fund Targeting $400M Market Gap

The institutional-grade digital asset index fund marks a significant advancement in on-chain financial services

A groundbreaking institutional-grade digital asset index fund has been launched by Mantle, a leading blockchain ecosystem known for its innovative decentralized finance (DeFi) products and over $3 billion in Total Value Locked (TVL).

Announced today, Mantle Index Four (MI4) fills a critical gap in the market with a unique offering: an institutionally focused crypto product designed for native yield generation and structured within a traditional fund format.

Ideal for both crypto-native and traditional investors, MI4 provides streamlined access to leading digital assets—BTC, ETH, SOL, and USD stablecoins/synthetic dollars—without the operational complexities of self-custody or the need for active token selection.

Earlier this year, the DAO members approved a proposal for Mantle Treasury to become the anchor investor in MI4, investing up to $400 million.

Moreover, MI4 has partnered with Securitize, the premier real-world asset tokenization platform, to tokenize investors’ interests in the Fund on Mantle Network.

Structured as a BVI Limited Partnership and managed by Mantle Guard Limited (a newly established investment manager), MI4 combines a regulated fund architecture with decentralized yield strategies. Investors benefit from efficient exposure to a curated basket of major assets—with BTC, ETH, SOL, and USD stablecoins/synthetic dollars receiving dynamic weights based on market capitalization and risk parameters.

The fund rebalances on a quarterly basis and incorporates staking strategies such as Mantle’s mETH, Bybit’s bbSOL, and Ethena’s sUSDe, aiming to enhance returns through DeFi-native yield without compromising compliance or investor protections.

All assets are managed using institutional-grade infrastructure, including Fireblocks and multi-signature controls, with qualified custodians being considered for future integration to further enhance security.

In essence, MI4 is designed to become a new financial primitive—a bridge between TradFi and DeFi—positioned to serve as the benchmark for crypto beta exposure with the potential for enhanced yield.

As of April 21, 2025, Securitize has tokenized and issued over $3 billion on-chain, serving as the launch partner for BlackRock's tokenized fund, BUIDL, which has a TVL of $2.47 billion, in addition to collaborations with other top-tier asset managers, including Apollo, KKR, and Hamilton Lane.

Through Securitize's tokenization infrastructure, MI4 investors will have the opportunity to tokenize their interests in the Fund. The tokenized interests can be transferred on Mantle Network among authorized participants in accordance with applicable private placement laws. This unlocks crypto-native advantages such as real-time on-chain liquidity and, in compliance with the MI4's transfer provisions, the ability to use the tokenized fund as collateral for leverage on supported exchanges.

“MI4 and associated future products aim to become standards in crypto – our basket of the major crypto currencies aims to capture all capital on chain looking for smart beta with income and is a set-it-and-forget-it solution for institutions without the complexities of direct custody," said Timothy Chen, Global Head of Strategy at Mantle. "We've engineered MI4 to meet exacting institutional standards while seeking to deliver enhanced returns, and our partnership with Securitize reinforces our shared commitment to advancing tokenization at scale. Mantle Treasury’s anchor investment showcases their confidence in MI4's structure and long-term value,” shared Sohan Sen, Director at Mantle Guard.

"We’re excited to launch MI4 with the Mantle team," said Carlos Domingo, Co-Founder and CEO of Securitize. "Through Securitize’s platform, investors will gain access to available real-time liquidity, the ability to use fund shares as on-chain collateral, as well as seamless interoperability with DeFi. That level of flexibility, combined with the attractive yields and institutional-grade structure, creates a product that mirrors the best of traditional finance while delivering the full potential of tokenized securities."

MI4's initial rollout in Phase 1 will take place over Q2 2025, with future phases focused on broadening partnership and integration in the wider digital asset ecosystem.

About Mantle ecosystem

A pioneering on-chain ecosystem dedicated to revolutionizing the future of finance and blockchain scalability, seamlessly bridging traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi). Through innovative products like Mantle Network, mETH Protocol, Function (FBTC), and Mantle Index Four (MI4), Mantle's ecosystem empowers users and institutions with a unified financial services platform, redefining how the world spends, saves, and invests in the Web 3.0 era.

For more information, users can visit: https://www.mantleguard.com

About Securitize

Securitize, the leader in tokenizing real-world assets, is bringing the world on-chain through tokenized funds in partnership with top-tier asset managers, such as Apollo, BlackRock