Alta, a layer-1 blockchain built for banks and large companies, has closed a new funding round led by Index Ventures. The startup, which recently rebranded from Metal, ships a plug-and-play compliance layer that checks transactions against rules in any jurisdiction.

The $47.5M Series A follows a $32.5M seed backed mainly by Airwallex, bringing total funding to $80M. GV, Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg and Capital49 also joined the round, at an undisclosed valuation.

Alta is led by CEO Loong Wang alongside former Meta executive Catherine Porter, and runs 25 people across San Francisco and Melbourne. Its features include privacy tools and a block on unsolicited transfers to wallet addresses.

Airwallex acts as a distribution channel, steering its payments customers to the chain as rivals such as Stripe build out their own crypto rails with Tempo.