Digital Assets
Digital assets are about more than just Bitcoin. The global adoption of blockchain, expansion of cross-border payments, new investment vehicles tied to intellectual property, and more, could one day establish a global market of digitized assets worth $50 trillion. This channel provides access to the latest developments, opportunities, risks, and thought leaders in the growing Digital Assets space.
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Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) has launched its Crypto app in the European Union (EU), allowing eligible customers to engage in crypto trading with the added incentive of earning Bitcoin rewards. Customers stand to receive up to 1 BTC as a reward when signing up and can earn an additional 1 BTC for each successful referral. The platform claims to be the sole custodial crypto platform in the EU offering customers a percentage of their trading volume back every month, paid in Bitcoin.
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More Stories on Digital Assets
Venture Capital/Digital: Shima Capital Launches $200M Fund For Early-Stage Blockchain Startups
The debut fund, Shima Capital Fund I , received funding from investors including Dragonfly Capital, Bill Ackman, Animoca, OKex, Mirana Ventures, Republic, and Andrew Yang, among others.
Digital Assets: Ether Options To Debut On CME September 12
Derivatives exchange CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) intends to launch options on its ether future contracts on September 12. The new option contracts are based on one ether futures, sized at 50 ether per contract, and based on the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate, which serves as a once-a-day reference rate of the U.S. dollar price of Ether.
Digital Assets: Revolut Bags Crypto License In Cyprus
UK digital bank Revolut will now be able to offer additional and regulated crypto services to its 17 million customers in Europe. The bank seeks an opportunity in the potential compliance required in upcoming EU regulations, and the Cyprus hub will enable it to support digital asset innovation, offer strong customer protection, and expand its crypto business.
Digital Assets: Crypto Adoption Makes Progress In Brazil – XP Inc Unveils Crypto Trading
After Nubank and Mercadolibre, XP Inc., the Brazilian brokerage with over 3.6 million customers, has launched a crypto trading platform dubbed XTAGE. Initially, trading will be offered only in bitcoin and ether. XTAGE has been integrated into XP’s trading systems and app. The platform utilized technology from Nasdaq, the US stock exchange, and crypto custody firm BitGo.
Digital Assets: Skybridge Capital’s Scaramucci Says Bitcoin Could Experience A “Demand Shock”
Anthony Scaramucci, of Skybridge Capital, said on a CNBC interview that the long-term fundamentals of bitcoin remained robust, more so due to recent developments on the institutional side. “Everybody is a long-term investor until they have short term losses,” he observed. Two factors could affect institutional activity in bitcoin and trigger a demand shock for the crypto.
Digital Assets: Brazilian Fintech PicPay Launches Crypto Exchange With Paxos
PicPay, the well-known Brazilian payment app, has got its shoe in the crypto door in partnership with Paxos, a leading regulated blockchain infrastructure company. Picpay is opening crypto trading services for its over 30 million customers and Paxos will manage the trading and custody of the digital assets. To be opened up gradually, the crypto service will initially cover bitcoin, ethereum and USDP, the regulated dollar-backed stablecoin from Paxos.
Digital Assets: BlackRock Makes Another Move To Woo Institutional Crypto Clients, Forms Private Trust For Bitcoin
BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) announced today a private trust that would offer institutional clients direct exposure to bitcoin, despite a pervasive bearish sentiment gripping the crypto assets market since it topped out in November, and recent high profile failures of major market players.
Alternative Investments/ESG: An “Anti-ESG” ETF, Backed By Thiel And Ackmann, To Gun For Fossil Investing
Strive Asset Management announced the launch of the Strive US Energy ETF (NYSE: $DRLL) which seeks to take advantage of a likely bull run in US energy stocks from an unfolding demand-supply imbalance in the global energy markets. Taking an anti-ESG stance, the ETF will mandate U.S. energy companies to reject shortsighted political agendas and to focus on long-term profitability, including through increased investment in oil and gas production.
Digital Assets: Ripple Labs Eyeing Pieces Of Celsius In Bankruptcy Wreckage
Ripple Labs, the blockchain payments company that created the XRP cryptocurrency, is interested in purchasing assets of Celsius Network, the crypto lender that was forced into bankruptcy amidst the meltdown in the crypto assets market. Ripple itself is engaged in a high stakes legal battle with the SEC which has charged the company and executives for conducting a $1.3 billion unregistered securities offering by selling XRP.
FinTech: German Bank Nuri Files For Insolvency Amidst Macro Environment And Crypto Bear Market
Nuri, a digital banking platform and app, offered users crypto transactions as well as normal banking activities including a debit card. The firm announced it had filed for insolvency on August 9, 2022 in view of a “lasting strain” on the liquidity of its business amidst “significant macroeconomic headwinds and the cooling down of public and private capital markets,” as well as a crypto bear market.
Alternative Investments/Digital/ESG: SoFi Launches Web3 And Smart Energy ETFs
SoFi Invest, the investing and trading arm of SoFi Technologies, announced the launch of two new ETFs, SoFi Web 32 (NASDAQ: TWEB) and SoFi Smart Energy (NYSE: ENRG) that provide exposure to two of the world’s fastest-growing industries.
Digital Assets: Singapore-Based Hodlnaut Suspends Withdrawals Amidst Crypto Downturn
Singapore-based crypto lender Hodlnaut has frozen withdrawals, swaps and deposits following an apparent liquidity crunch it attributed to “recent market conditions” and an intention to “focus on stabilising our liquidity and preserving assets.”
Digital Assets: Voyager Customers Can Soon Withdraw Dollar Balances
Voyager Digital (TSE: VOYG), the crypto lender currently in bankruptcy proceedings said Friday it had received permission from the court to restore access to customers for their cash held by the company at Metropolitan Commercial Bank (NYSE: MCB).
Digital Assets: Institutional Crypto Clients To Connect Via BlackRock’s Aladdin Platform To Coinbase Prime
Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) and BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) have agreed to create new access points for institutional crypto adoption by connecting Coinbase Prime and Aladdin, BlackRock’s end-to-end investment management platform. Coinbase Prime is built for institutions and is a full-service platform to provide them access to crypto markets at scale.
FinTech: Revolut Expands Its UK Crypto List, Adds 22 New Cryptos
Digital challenger bank Revolut has expanded its list of tradeable crypto tokens to 82 by adding 22 new tokens including ApeCoin, Request, Sandbox, and Ethereum Classic.
Alternative Investments/Digital: A Metaverse-Themed ETF From Betashares Debuts On The ASX
The BetaShares Metaverse ETF (ASX: MTAV) has debuted on the ASX on Thursday, August 5, 2022. It is the first Australian ETF providing dedicated exposure to a portfolio of leading global companies that are building, developing and operating the Metaverse.
Digital Assets: Fairfax County Retirement Systems To Invest In Crypto Lending
Crypto lending, or “yield farming” could boost returns at the Fund despite recent debacles such as at Celsius Network. The $6.8 billion Fairfax County Retirement Systems has been cleared by its trustees to commence a kind of investment known as “yield farming,” where the investor owning crypto tokens can lend them out and earn an…
Alternative Investments/Digital Assets: New, Blockchain-Focused ETF From Horizon Kinetics
Horizon Kinetics LLC launched the Blockchain Development ETF (NYSEARCA: BCDF) on August 2. The ETF will invest in companies benefit, either directly or indirectly, from the issuance, facilitation, custody, trading and administration of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies or distributed ledger technology.
Digital Assets: MicroStrategy Posts Q2 Loss Of $1B; Saylor No Longer CEO
In another fallout of the crypto winter, bitcoin evangelist Michael Saylor, who is currently Chairman & CEO of business intelligence company MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), has relinquished his role of CEO with effect from August 8. The organizational change came the same day that the company announced a net loss for the second quarter of $1.062 billion, or $94.01 per share, $93.17 worse than the analyst estimate of ($0.84). The loss was primarily on account of impairment losses of $917.8 million on the company’s bitcoin holdings.
Venture Capital: Hardware Wallet Company Ledger Reportedly Looking To Raise $100M
A Bloomberg report says Ledger, the French crypto wallet maker, is in talks to raise a minimum of $100 million from strategic investors. The company previously raised a $380 million Series C in June 2021 at a valuation exceeding $1.5 billion, and this may not be the best of times to raise financing given the dire state of the digital assets market.
Alternative Investments/Digital: Schwab To Debut Crypto ETF
Charles Schwab Corporation’s (NYSE: SCHW) asset management division, Schwab Asset Management, announced the debut of the Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF (NYSEARCA: STCE) on August 4 on the New York Stock Exchange. The ETF will be listed on the NYSE and trade under the symbol STCE.
Alternative Investments/Digital: The KuCoin Crypto Exchange Launches An ETF Zone For NFTs
Seychelles head-quartered, global cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin announced July 29 the launch of its NFT ETF Trading Zone that will allow the listing of 5 NFT ETFs covering hiBAYC, hiPUNKS, hiSAND33, hiKODA, and hiENS4 as underlying assets as a beginning. The ETFs shall be denominated in USDT, another first for KuCoin, rather than Ether (ETH). The exchange intends to improve the liquidity of NFT assets and lower the investment threshold of blue-chip NFTs for over 20 million users, as well as alleviate risks of holding these assets individually.
Alternative Investments/Digital: The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF To Debut On August 4
The Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF (NYSEARCA: STCE), launched by Schwab Asset Management, the asset management arm of The Charles Schwab Corporation, will start trading on or about August 4, 2022. It will provide investors with global exposure to companies that may benefit from the development or utilization of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.
FinTech: Plaid And Gemini To Collaborate On Crypto Payments
The market cap for cryptocurrencies surpassed $1T in 2021, and venture funding in the field surpassed $25B. The interest in digital assets has grown tremendously over the past few years, both for consumers, businesses, and institutions. However, despite interest in the ecosystem growing, the crypto world has a lot of entry barriers – especially for the new investor starting out. The process is hard, particularly for first-time crypto buyers, involving uploading the right documentation, opening an account, and funding it. Exchanges must provide an easy account-opening process for all users – therefore, Plaid and Gemini are building an easier bridge between traditional finance and crypto worlds.