Key Facts
- ✓ Saturn has secured $800,000 in funding from YZi Labs and Sora Ventures to develop its USDat stablecoin protocol.
- ✓ The protocol is designed to offer an annual yield exceeding 11%, generated through Strategy's STRC and U.S. Treasury bills.
- ✓ USDat is built on Bitcoin's new credit layer, a development by Strategy and Michael Saylor that transforms Bitcoin into a source of fixed income.
- ✓ The founding team consists of University of Pennsylvania alumni with prior experience at Artemis and M31 Capital.
- ✓ Saturn aims to scale the protocol to a $10 billion market capitalization while maintaining double-digit yields.
Quick Summary
Saturn has announced a successful $800,000 funding round to build a new stablecoin protocol named USDat. The investment was led by YZi Labs and Sora Ventures, with participation from prominent crypto angels.
The new protocol is designed to provide a 11%+ annual yield, a significant departure from traditional stablecoins that typically offer minimal returns. This yield is generated through a combination of Strategy's STRC and U.S. Treasury bills, creating a bridge between institutional credit and decentralized finance.
The Digital Credit Revolution
The foundation of this new protocol rests on a recent innovation in the cryptocurrency space. In 2025, Strategy and Michael Saylor aimed to transform Bitcoin into a durable source of yield by creating a credit layer on top of it. This development effectively turned Bitcoin into a productive asset capable of generating fixed income.
Saturn is building the first application on this new platform layer, which its co-founder describes as a transformative force for the financial industry. The vision extends beyond simple payments to reshape banking, insurance, and investing.
Our goal is to bring transparent yield to DeFi at a scale of billions of dollars. We are building the first application on Michael Saylor’s digital credit – a whole new platform layer, where banks, insurance, investing and money will be all reshaped.
This approach leverages Strategy's Digital Credit to provide the backing for USDat, offering a level of institutional credibility rarely seen in the stablecoin market.
"Our goal is to bring transparent yield to DeFi at a scale of billions of dollars. We are building the first application on Michael Saylor’s digital credit – a whole new platform layer, where banks, insurance, investing and money will be all reshaped."
— Kevin Li, Co-founder of Saturn
Institutional Meets Decentralized
Investors and industry experts see this as a pivotal moment for DeFi. The ability to connect institutional-grade credit products with decentralized protocols opens new avenues for capital efficiency and yield generation. Sora Ventures, a lead investor, highlighted the unique positioning of Saturn in the current market.
Jason Fang, Founder of Sora Ventures, noted that stablecoins are evolving from simple payment tools into sophisticated, yield-driven products. The integration of Strategy's credit products represents a meaningful step forward in connecting these two financial worlds.
Stablecoins are moving beyond simple payments toward yield-driven products, and few projects connect institutional credit with DeFi in a meaningful way. We backed Saturn because USDat is pioneering the first on-chain use of Strategy’s credit products, and we believe it can redefine how institutional capital interacts with decentralized finance.
The protocol aims to become the Tether of digital credit, providing a stable, yield-bearing asset for a global user base.
The Team Behind the Vision
The Saturn team brings a wealth of experience from both traditional finance and the crypto industry. The founders are all alumni of the University of Pennsylvania, a pedigree that underscores their deep expertise in financial engineering and technology.
Their professional backgrounds include significant roles at leading blockchain and investment firms. This includes experience at Artemis, a prominent blockchain data company focused on stablecoin and on-chain analytics, and M31 Capital, a venture and liquid fund specializing in DeFi.
This combination of technical prowess and financial acumen positions the team to execute on their ambitious goal of creating a stablecoin protocol that can scale to a $10 billion market capitalization while offering double-digit yields.
Market Impact & Future Outlook
The successful funding round provides Saturn with the capital needed to accelerate development and pursue global market penetration. With the backing of YZi Labs and Sora Ventures, the project is well-positioned to become a dominant force in the evolving DeFi landscape.
The protocol's unique value proposition lies in its ability to offer double-digit yields at scale, a feat that has been difficult to achieve sustainably in the decentralized finance sector. By anchoring its yield in Bitcoin's new credit layer and U.S. Treasuries, USDat aims to provide a safer, more transparent alternative to existing yield-bearing stablecoins.
As the market continues to mature, the integration of institutional credit products with decentralized protocols is expected to accelerate. Saturn's USDat protocol stands at the forefront of this trend, potentially setting a new standard for what stablecoins can achieve in terms of returns and utility.
Key Takeaways
The launch of USDat marks a significant development in the stablecoin market, bridging the gap between traditional finance and DeFi. The project's success hinges on its ability to deliver on the promise of 11%+ yields backed by tangible assets.
Investors and users will be watching closely to see how the protocol scales and whether it can maintain its yield targets in a competitive market. The involvement of experienced founders and reputable venture firms adds a layer of credibility to the project's long-term prospects.
Ultimately, Saturn's initiative represents a broader trend of financial innovation, where Bitcoin and other digital assets are being leveraged to create new forms of credit and yield. As this space evolves, protocols like USDat could play a crucial role in shaping the future of decentralized finance.
"Stablecoins are moving beyond simple payments toward yield-driven products, and few projects connect institutional credit with DeFi in a meaningful way. We backed Saturn because USDat is pioneering the first on-chain use of Strategy’s credit products, and we believe it can redefine how institutional capital interacts with decentralized finance."
— Jason Fang, Founder of Sora Ventures










