Tag: digital asset

Digital Asset Data Provider Kaiko Secures €5 Million During Seed Funding Round Led By Anthemis Group & Point Nine Capital

Kaiko, a digital assets data provider, announced on Tuesday it raised €5 million through its latest seed funding round led by global financial services investors Anthemis Group and Point Nine Capital with participation from CoinShares.

Founded in 2014, Kaiko describes itself as a market data provider in the blockchain-based digital assets space, providing institutional investors and market participants with enterprise-grade data infrastructure. The company further explained that its full suite of data services is designed for enterprise-level clients who require both low-latency and high-availability access to clean trade and order book data. Kaiko also noted it is building the data infrastructure for a new asset class, enabling investors to make informed decisions across more than 80 exchanges.

While sharing more details about the company, Ambre Soubiran, CEO of Kaiko, stated:

“The role of data providers in cryptomarkets cannot be underestimated — the more informed investors are about the assets that they are trading, the more efficiently markets operate. We are delighted to have the support of Anthemis and Point Nine Capital. Their combined expertise in financial services and technology will help us strengthen our position as the leading data infrastructure provider in the blockchain arena.”

Soubiran went on to add:

“Institutional interest guides our development approach, and has led to our investment in products that are at the quality that traditional financial market participants expect.”

Digital Asset Custodian Cooper Hits $500 Million in Transactions Just Three Months After Launching

Cooper, a UK-based custodian for digital assets, announced on Wednesday it has hit $500 million in transactions since its launch three months ago. Founded in 2018, Copper has developed a secure platform to facilitate investors who require dedicated account management and professional custody and execution services.

“We believe the cryptocurrency industry should be available and accessible to everyone. But a lack of reliable custody and execution services has left many institutional investors locked out of the market.”

Cooper also reported that it has already provided digital asset safeguarding for multiple funds and investors operating a full range of investment strategies. Now, clients such as GSR are taking full-advantage of Cooper’s multi-account, multi-currency trading platform, and T-0 settlement solution. Speaking about the latest milestone, Dmitry Tokarev, Founder and CEO of Cooper, stated:

“Although we expected to see a gradual uptake in execution and settlement volumes across our clients, it’s really heartening to see such a rapid increase in engagement. Not only are we trusted by investors and funds to hold millions of dollars’ worth of their assets and facilitate their high-volume trading needs – but our proven T-0 settlement time allow our customers to work their capital harder and potentially increase profit.”

Tokarev went on to add:

“We are working on other unique services which will give our institutional customers additional tools to engage with the digital asset markets which we expect to go live in Q4.”

Australian Securities Exchange Partnership With Digital Asset & VMWare For New Distributed Ledger Technology Initiatives

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) announced on Monday it has signed a three-party memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Digital Asset (DA) and VMware to work together on distributed ledger technology (DLT) initiatives in Australia and New Zealand.

ASX reported that under the new partnership it plans to provide its DLT offering with the support of DA and VMware, which will include the development of the application to replace CHESS (ASX’s equities clearing and settlement system), the support of DAML (the open-source smart contract programming language used to build distributed applications), and the provision and support of the distributed ledger and associated infrastructure that deliver ASX’s data privacy, confidentiality and security requirements at greater scale.

Speaking about the partnership,  Peter Hiom, ASX Deputy CEO, stated:

“This new partnership is a very positive development that will help us support a wider range of DLT solutions developed by the industry. It confirms our belief in the potential of DLT as we remain on track to deliver the CHESS replacement system in March-April 2021.”

David Tennenhouse, Senior Vice President and Chief Research Officer at VMware, went on to add:

“Providing a state-of-the-art DLT-based system will create new business opportunities for the industry. We’re working closely with DA and ASX on a combined offering to provide the enterprise-grade foundation for ASX, and we look forward to expanding our relationship.”

Digital Asset Services Platform RockX Launches With a Mission to Accelerate Staking-As-A-Service

RockX, a new digital asset services platform, has been launched by Alex Lam, Founder of RockMiner, to bridge the gap between the cryptocurrency veterans and novices and to further accelerate the development of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) public blockchains. RockX will initially serve as a Staking-as-a-Service platform allowing users to stake their digital assets in select public blockchains.

“RockX will provide owners of digital assets and cryptocurrencies the opportunity to submit their holdings for staking on partnered PoS blockchains. Contributors will receive regular staking rewards based on their contribution, allowing them to bring additional value to their digital asset. Initially launching with a Staking-as-a-Service platform, RockX plans to unveil additional services and products in the near future. These services will cater to both individual and institutional clientele and address both PoS and Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchain protocols.”

While sharing more details about the new platform, Lam stated:

“PoS blockchains are an important vehicle for the continued expansion of the blockchain ecosystem. With our team’s unparalleled experience and knowledge of both PoS and PoW protocols, we are in a leading position to bring these competing consensus protocols together to offer new forms of value to customers. Through RockX, we hope to safeguard the PoS ecosystem — providing secured and verified transactions and cultivating good-governance across the industry. By establishing ourselves as a trusted partner to PoS networks, we will connect projects and token holders so that they not only benefit from our expertise, but our dedication to the sustainable development of the blockchain industry.” 

Xinshu Dong, Co-Founder of RockX, added:

“At present, access to digital assets is still faced with various challenges and barriers for average users and institutions. RockX is aiming to bridge the gaps, offering token holders and future users convenient and friendly means to earn “rewards” on their holdings. Moving forward, we plan to bring additional industry-grade crypto-deployment services to market, unlocking real value for token holders and accelerating industry maturation. The launch of our new Staking-as-a-Service platform serves as the first step in the RockX journey to becoming a one stop service platform for individuals and institutions entering the growing digital economy.”

OKCoin Announces EOS Token Added to Digital Asset Exchange

OKCoin announced on Monday it has named EOS as the latest token added to its digital exchange platform. Founded in 2013, OKCoin claims to be one of the world’s first and largest regulated digital asset exchanges. It has users in more than 100 countries around the world.

The platform currently provides traders and institutions with fiat-to-token trading to help eliminate trading barriers and improve transactions efficiency while compiling with the regulatory standards in the U.S. and the world. OKCoin describes EOS as a scalable, flexible cryptocurrency designed to be usable in real-world scenarios. It was further explained:

“Developers use EOS, the native cryptocurrency used by EOSIO blockchain protocol, to create decentralized, commercial-scale applications. EOSIO combines a smart contract platform and decentralized operating system providing services such as access control, authentication, storage, computing power and more. The objective is blockchain architecture that can scale to millions of transactions a second without user fees providing users with incredible speed, security, and performance.”

OKCoin went on to add that EOS is now available for deposit and withdraw.

B2BX Cryptocurrency Exchange Receives Full Regulatory Approval in Estonia

B2BX Exchange, a professional digital asset trading platform, announced on Monday it has received approval for a regulatory license from the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). B2BX, which is part of the B2Broker group of companies, reported that the license means it will be able to operate as a completely regulated exchange for trading cryptocurrencies. It considers itself one of the first exchanges in Europe to secure this form of recognition.

The platform also reported that it applied for its license in Estonia due to the country’s reputation for being highly innovative and technology-friendly. Furthermore, the EU-member country continues to take a leading stance in the advancement of blockchain technologies and cryptocurrency regulation. B2BX noted that license will open the door for its exchange to provide an extended level of services which currently includes a crypto-to-crypto service and soon to be crypto-to-fiat, as well as providing peace of mind for users by way of increased transparency and security due to strict KYC procedure adherence.

Speaking about the license approval, CEO and Founder of B2Broker group, Arthur Azizov, stated:

“We are delighted to have secured regulatory approval from Estonia, placing B2BX Exchange in the enviable position of being one of the first exchanges to achieve this accolade. I have long been a proponent of regulation which I believe will promote further the adoption of cryptocurrency usage and cryptocurrency trading. Our users will be able to benefit from an enhanced level of protection, safe in the knowledge that they are dealing with a world-leading, regulated cryptocurrency exchange.”

B2BX is a full-featured spot trading platform which allows users to trade major digital assets and cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, NEM, Litecoin, Ripple, NEO, Monero, NEM, and Dash.

DLT Provider Digital Asset Adds Big Names to Board including Blackstone, former Google, and Deutsche Börse Execs

Digital Asset, a blockchain or distributed ledger (DLT) technology provider, has signed up Tony James, Executive Vice Chairman of Blackstone, AG Gangadhar, former engineering executive at Amazon, Google and Uber, and Stephan Leithner, Executive Board Member of Deutsche Börse Group, to its board of directors.

Founded in 2014, Digital Asset currently has more than 170 employees serving global clients providing a DLT platform and a fit-for-purpose smart contract modeling language, DAML. In 2017, the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), announced its intent to replace its post-trade infrastructure for equities with Digital Asset technology – a solid validation of the services the company provides.

A Wall Street veteran, James is a member of the board of directors of Blackstone’s general partner, Blackstone Group Management L.L.C. He is also a member of Blackstone’s Management Committee and sits on each of the firm’s investment committees. James previously served as the firm’s President and Chief Operating Officer.

Gangadhar has a well regarded engineering reputation. He brings profound knowledge of distributed systems and cloud infrastructures gained from decades of experience at Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Uber. At Google, he built the first cloud infrastructure services, including Google Compute Engine, Google AppEngine, Google Cloud SQL, and Google Container Engine.

Leithner recently joined the Executive Board of Deutsche Börse AG, where he is responsible for the exchange’s post-trade business, Clearstream, and its data and index businesses. Previously, Leithner was a partner at the alternative investment firm EQT. He also served as member of the management board of Deutsche Bank AG from 2012 until 2015 and was also a partner at McKinsey and Company.

James and Gangadhar join Digital Asset CEO, Blythe Masters, and company founders, Sunil Hirani (CEO of TrueEX) and Don R. Wilson (CEO of DRW) on the board of directors. Other board members include Michael Bodson (CEO of DTCC), Peter Hiom (Deputy CEO of ASX), George Nunn (COO of Global Markets Americas at BNP Paribas), Sanoke Viswanathan (CAO of J.P.Morgan’s Corporate and Investment Bank), Sallie Krawcheck (CEO of Ellevest) and Cristóbal Conde (former CEO of Sungard Data Systems).

“Digital Asset is on an ambitious path to deliver the first DLT solution to power systemically consequential marketplaces. It is now time to scale access to our technology to meet rising demand,” said Blythe Masters, CEO of Digital Asset. “Tony, AG and Stephan bring unparalleled experience in driving scale in private equity, technology and financial industries. They will help shape our strategy and accelerate our mission to unleash web-paced innovation across multiple industries.”

Gangadhar, who is currently CEO at a stealth robotics company, said the engineering challenges that Digital Asset “has already conquered impress me.”

“I’m excited to be part of a team that is defining a category for an entirely new class of distributed applications.”

James, whose family office invested in Digital Asset, said blockchain tech has enormous potential.

“Digital Asset has both the leadership and the technology it needs to deliver. I’m delighted to play a role in guiding the company.”

 

Blockchain Company Digital Asset Raises $50 Million from 13 Different Financial Companies

BLYTHE MASTERSDigital Asset, a software company that is developing proprietary blockchain technology, just raised $50 million as 12 different financial services firms rushed to support the young company.  The investors include some of the biggest names in traditional finance like; Citi, JP Morgan, Santandar, PNC, BNP Paribas, ABN Amro – and more.  Recently Bitcoin has taken a turn for the worse as prominent developer and advocate Mike Hearn called the cryptocurrency “dead”.  But while skeptics are challenging Bitcoin, Blockchain technology is booming as it has the potential to solve issues challenging many financial firms.

Blythe Masters, a 27 year veteran of JPM who is CEO of Digital Assets, called the funding round a “tremendous endorsement” from the banking industry. “Our strategic investors have come together from across the financial services industry to help drive global adoption of transformative solutions which enhance the vital services that they provide,” stated Masters.

digital Asset investorsLaunched only in 2015, Digita Asset seeks to improve security, efficiency, speed via a new financial ecosystem while simultaneously boosting both compliance and transparency. For many traditional financial firms with legacy information systems infrastructure a shift into the Digital Asset tech may quickly lower costs while dramatically improving productivity.

Digital Asset’s products serve the entire financial ecosystem through a tailored business logic application using privately permissioned networks that employ a cryptographically secure and shared infrastructure.

“We look forward to working closely with Digital Asset and other stakeholders in this innovative technology. This relationship will leverage our ambitions to utilize Distributed Ledger Technology to bring effective solutions to our clients,” said Carsten Kengeter, CEO of Deutsche Börse Group.

Digital Assets believes they are unique among firms looking to create distributed ledger technology. The company has combined veteran wall street bankers with creative tech types. Digital Assets has also acquired several different firms in the space including Blockstack.IO a blockchain as a service provider.Sanoke Viswanathan

“We are proud to be a lead investor in this round of financing,” said Sanoke Viswanathan of J.P. Morgan. “Distributed Ledger Technology has the potential to transform the way our industry does business, and we believe Digital Asset has the right talent and technology to make it a reality.”

Digital Asset hopes to help establish a standard in their Hyperledger product. This was recently accepted by the Linux Foundation to promote a community based, open-sourced approach.

Along with the announcement of significant funding, Digital Asset has also expanded its Board of Directors. The nine-member board now includes:

  • Catherine Flax, Head of Commodity Derivatives and Foreign Exchange & Local Markets, Americas of BNP Paribas,
  • Ashwin Kumar, Group Head of Product Development of Deutsche Börse Group,
  • Sanoke Viswanathan, Chief Administrative Officer of J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank
  • Mike Bodson, President & Chief Executive Officer of DTCC,

The new board members will join Masters, Donald Wilson, Sunil Hirani, Cristóbal Conde and an additional director who will be named shortly.

 

The list complete list of investors in this funding round are posted below:

  • ABN Amro
  • Accenture
  • ASX Limited
  • BNP Paribas
  • Broad ridge Financial Solutions
  • Citi
  • CME Ventures
  • Deutsche Börse Group
  • ICAP
  • JP Morgan
  • Santander InnoVentures
  • The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp.
  • PNC Financial Services Group