The team behind the first regulated bitcoin hedge fund and Exchange Traded Bitcoin notes has launched CoinShares, a new brand for their growing portfolio of crypto investment vehicles.
With the announcement, GABI, the group’s bitcoin fund and XBT Provider, issuer of two bitcoin ETNs, becomes part of the CoinShares group of products; a family which collectively represents USD300 million in crypto-assets.
“We are bringing these pioneering products under one brand so that investors can grow with a familiar partner. It’s the next logical step in professionalizing crypto-finance – as more assets mature in the space, more investors will demand exposure; and we will continue our focus on providing professional grade access. This is about giving those investors a standard and brand they can trust as we enter this next phase of crypto-investment,” says Daniel Masters, Co-Principal at CoinShares.
In the last six months some of the biggest retail brokerages in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Denmark all began to offer clients access to bitcoin exposure through two of CoinShares’ exchange traded bitcoin notes issued by XBT Provider AB. In June, CoinShares closed the world’s first fund denominated in ether. And in September, GABI, the regulated bitcoin fund celebrated its three year anniversary. Crypto-finance is unquestionably experiencing a rapid evolution.
“This launch marks an inflection point – maturity is really the word that comes to mind here. In the last three years, we have seen bitcoin go from a confusing topic in board rooms to a hotly debated investment strategy; consequently, our offering of products has grown to suit this changing environment,” says Jean Marie Mognetti, Co-Principal at CoinShares.
CoinShares’ family of products includes both managed strategies and exchange traded products, each designed for a specific class of investor, making it the first brand to offer a multi-strategy approach to crypto investment. In addition, the team behind the products is composed of experienced finance professionals from JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers & State Street; and has a near two-decade record in alternative investment management.
“We have seen governments and traditional financial institutions fight, fail, embrace and ban bitcoin. We have seen a futures market form, leverage layers deepen and merchant adoption increase. In the last 18 months, at least 15 cryptocurrency ‘funds’ hit the market and at least five crypto-based investment products are currently pending review with regulators in the US and elsewhere. Now, CoinShares represents the first branded group of investment products in crypto-finance and we could not be more excited to continue to deliver smart access to the crypto-revolution,” says Ryan Radloff (pictured), Co-Principal at CoinShares.
