Blockchain payments firm Halliday has secured $20 million in Series A funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) with participation from Avalanche Blizzard Fund, Credibly Neutral, and Alt Layer, the firm announced Tuesday.

The investment seeks to accelerate the development of Halliday’s Workflow Protocol, which enables onchain application development without smart contracts.

In a press release shared with Cryptonews, the firm said other angel investors such as Viktor Bunin from Coinbase, Jason Zhao from Story Protocol, Ekram Ahmed from Celestia, and Nikil Viswanathan and Joe Lau from Alchemy also contributed.

a16z’s Second Investment in Halliday

This marks a16z crypto’s second investment in Halliday, following a $6 million seed round in 2022, bringing the company’s total funding to over $26 million.

This investment will support the development of Halliday Payments—a platform designed to streamline onchain application development—while allowing the company to expand its team.

Addressing Challenges in Onchain Development

For years, smart contracts have been the foundation of onchain applications, but their development process is slow, expensive, and complex, explains Halliday.

Writing and deploying smart contracts resembles hardware engineering—requiring extensive testing, security audits, and significant development time.

The emergence of AI in blockchain also faces challenges due to compliance and security risks.

For AI-driven automation to thrive onchain, there needs to be a more robust infrastructure allowing businesses to oversee and control AI workflows, says the firm.

Halliday claims the Workflow Protocol solves these problems. It allows developers to automate workflows—such as onramping to an L2, recurring payments, treasury management, and B2B operations—without writing a single smart contract.

The protocol substantially reduces development time, allowing teams to launch applications in hours rather than the months or years traditionally required for smart contract development.

Supporting and Powering Major Projects

Since 2023, Halliday has been stress-testing its workflow engine with major industry partners, including DeFi Kingdoms, Core Wallet (Ava Labs), and ApeChain.

Soon, the Workflow Protocol will also go live with Story Protocol, Lens, Frax, and several other leading blockchain projects.

Simplifying Application Development Without Smart Contracts

With Halliday, Web2 and Web3 businesses can build applications without the complexity of smart contract development, claims the firm.

Banks, fintechs, and financial institutions can tap into the decentralized economy with ease—offering digital asset payments, stablecoin subscriptions, yield products, and programmable treasury management.

Beyond its investment in Halliday, a16z continues to expand its crypto footprint.

a16z Launches Spring 2025 Accelerator for Crypto Startups

a16z announced plans in January to launch its crypto startup accelerator program (CSX) in San Francisco this spring.

The a16z crypto startup accelerator offers funding, mentorship, and operational support to help early-stage startups grow and scale.

As a result, many compare this initiative to Y Combinator, but it is specifically designed for crypto ventures.

Additionally, participating founders receive capital, build connections with industry experts and collaborate with Web3 teams.

The post Halliday Raises $20M Funding Led by VC Giant a16z appeared first on Cryptonews.

BNB has once again demonstrated its resilience and strength by breaking through the crucial $605 resistance level. This milestone, achieved after weeks of testing and consolidation, has sparked renewed interest among traders and investors. Following the breakout, BNB has entered a phase of price stabilization, comfortably holding above the $605 mark and transforming it into a robust support zone.

This consolidation phase is a classic sign of a healthy market, as it allows the asset to catch its breath after a significant upward move. It also suggests that the breakout was backed by genuine buying pressure rather than short-term speculation. With the $605 level now acting as a springboard, the stage is set for BNB to target higher price levels in the coming days or weeks.

BNB Price Action: Stability Above $605 Signals Strength

BNB’s ability to hold above the $605 resistance level after breaking through reflects growing bullish momentum. Its stability indicates that buyers are defending the breakout level, reinforcing its significance as a new support zone. Sustained trading above this level could pave the way for further gains toward targets near $630 and $650.

Technical indicators reinforce the strength of BNB’s breakout, signaling that bullish momentum remains intact. The MACD continues to trend in positive territory, with the MACD line staying above the signal line. This positioning suggests that buying pressure remains dominant, and the possibility of further gains remains strong. Additionally, the histogram bars are expanding, reflecting increasing bullish momentum.

Furthermore, the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) acts as dynamic support, with BNB trading above it, which implies that the broader trend remains bullish, and any dips toward this level could present buying opportunities. 

If BNB maintains its momentum, it could target $680, strengthening its bullish outlook. A breakout above the level may attract more buyers, increasing the chances of a sustained rally. Presently, the $680 serves as a key resistance, and clearing it with strong volume is likely to spark a move to $724 in the medium term.

Support Zones To Watch In Case Of A Pullback

If BNB experiences a pullback, the $605 level will be the first key support to watch, as it has flipped from resistance to support. Holding this level could reinforce bullish momentum and signal that buyers are defending the breakout. 

However, if selling pressure increases and $605 fails to hold, the $531 demand zone comes into play, which has historically provided strong support. A rebound from this level would indicate buyer strength, but a break below will expose BNB to more downside before another bullish attempt. An extended correction could bring $500 into focus, which aligns with the 100-day SMA and has previously served as a significant pivot point for price rebounds.