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Zaria Systems has raised $5.2 mn in seed funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners as the financial technology company seeks regulatory approval to establish a national trust bank in the United States.
The financing follows Zaria’s application to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a charter to establish Zaria National Trust Bank (ZNTB), a proposed special-purpose national bank whose activities would be limited to trust company operations and related services.
- Zaria Systems raised $5.2 mn in seed funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners to expand its loan servicing, collateral management and structured finance infrastructure.
- The company has applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish Zaria National Trust Bank, a proposed special-purpose national bank offering trust and related services.
- Zaria’s platform is already operating with partners including Ledn, Maple, Galaxy, Kraken and Figure, supporting digital asset-backed lending, warehouse facilities and securitizations.
Zaria develops real-time infrastructure for mark-to-market credit and structured finance, providing loan servicing, backup servicing, collateral management and agency services to traditional finance institutions and digital asset-backed lenders.
The company plans to use the investment to expand its existing operations, increase staffing and develop its technology platform.
Zaria seeks OCC approval for national trust bank
Zaria’s proposed banking structure would consolidate several services currently provided by separate counterparties within structured finance transactions.
Traditional structured finance has generally relied on periodic, batch-based processes to monitor collateral values and verify compliance with lending requirements.
The expansion of securities-backed lending, digital asset-backed credit and tokenized financial instruments is increasing demand for real-time collateral monitoring and automated margin calls.
Zaria’s infrastructure is designed to support these requirements throughout the lifecycle of structured finance transactions. If the OCC approves its application, ZNTB would operate as a federally regulated trustee, combining corporate trust services, agency operations, loan servicing, collateral management and backup servicing within a single institution.
The proposed structure would allow transaction participants to work with one regulated counterparty rather than relying on several independent service providers.
The application remains subject to regulatory review, and ZNTB has not received its proposed national trust bank charter.
Lightspeed backs Zaria’s structured finance platform
The $5.2 mn seed round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, which cited Zaria’s existing commercial activity and technology capabilities as reasons for its investment.
“This financing lets us accelerate growth and scale our existing services,” said Emily Barron, co-founder and CEO of Zaria.
We’re currently running servicing, backup servicing, collateral management, and agency infrastructure for structured finance and digital asset-backed loans. This investment lets us grow that team, extend the technology, and build on to a strong foundation.
Emily Barron, co-founder and CEO of Zaria
Aaron Frank, partner for fintech at Lightspeed Venture Partners, pointed to Zaria’s experience serving structured finance and digital asset-backed lenders.
“Zaria has already built real traction with structured finance and digital asset-backed lenders,” Frank said. “Emily and her team have combined deep structured finance expertise with the technical rigor to build that infrastructure from the ground up, and we’re proud to have been able to back them from the earliest days.”
Zaria expands digital asset lending infrastructure
Zaria’s platform is already operating with partners including Ledn, Maple, Galaxy, Kraken and Figure.
The company provides backup servicing, agency, collateral management and node services infrastructure across warehouse lending facilities, forward flow loan sale programs and securitizations.
Its technology supports the monitoring and administration of collateral-backed transactions, including loans secured by digital assets and securities.
The proposed national trust bank would bring these services under a common federally regulated structure, subject to OCC approval.
ZNTB’s organizers and management team have experience spanning corporate trust, financial technology, banking, credit ratings and financial regulation. Their professional backgrounds include BNY Mellon, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Moody’s, SoFi, Affirm, NYDIG, Block and the OCC.
Zaria intends to serve banks, lenders and asset managers operating across traditional and digital asset markets, with its proposed banking charter providing a regulatory structure for corporate trustee and agency activities.
The company will continue operating its existing structured finance infrastructure while pursuing approval for Zaria National Trust Bank.
