Crypto Investment Firm Grayscale Brings In $330 Million Even as Market Sags
*by Tanaya Macheel*
Next year may signal a more widespread adoption of crypto among institutional investors ー if the current momentum continues, that is.
Grayscale, a veteran digital currency investment firm, saw record inflows, $330 million in the first three quarters of 2018 ー most of which came from institutional investors including hedge funds, endowments and pensions, according to the managing director.
“That’s against nothing but price decline,” which investors are using as “a time to create \[an\] initial position or start scaling into a position” in Bitcoin or other crypto assets, Michael Sonnenshein told Cheddar on Friday.
In the third quarter, 73 percent of inflows were into the Bitcoin Investment Trust, while 27 percent were into Grayscale products tied to other digital assets, according to Grayscale’s third-quarter Digital Asset Investment Report, published Thursday.
For the year to date, Bitcoin accounted for 66 percent of total assets raised and 34 percent went into other digital assets.
Most of Grayscale’s capital inflows are going to its Bitcoin product because investors are most familiar and comfortable with it. Eight of Grayscale’s nine different products are for single currencies ーlike Bitcoin or XRP. The ninth is a bundle that offers exposure to the largest digital currencies by market cap.
“We’re starting to see a lot more interest in those types of structures, especially in the wake of seeing other firms shut down their index products,” Sonnenshein said of the large cap fund.
“A lot of folks want to generally allocate to the space and not have to choose winners or avoid losers and like the idea of the large cap fund for that very reason.”
Since late last year’s run-up, when the price of Bitcoin reached nearly $20,000, Fidelity, the third-largest asset manager in the world, announced plans to launch a crypto custody and institutional brokerage business. Goldman Sachs announced plans to open a crypto trading operation. Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, has entered the crypto industry through a new company called Bakkt. Earlier this week, Morgan Stanley released a bullish report on cryptocurrencies, hailing Bitcoin and other digital assets as a "new institutional investment class.”
“The once taboo nature of investing in digital currencies has been shrugged off by most investors. When we go sit down with our hedge fund clients, endowments, whatever they may be, there is so much knowledge on the other side of the table that, to us, is really validating," Sonnenshein said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/morgan-stanley-says-cryptocurrencies-are-a-new-asset-class).
Facebook has dominated the headlines over the past week. The social media giant reported earnings on Monday, has been in the crosshairs of lawmakers and is now expected to rebrand itself as it gears up for what it calls the metaverse. Daniel Newman, Founder & Principal Analyst at Futurum Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he discusses what we should expect to see ultimately unfold.
Verizon is teaming with Amazon's Project Kuiper low-orbit satellites to help improve communications and internet connectivity. Sampath Sowmyanarayan, chief revenue officer for Verizon Business, joined Cheddar to talk about the relationship with Amazon and what customers can expect from the strategic partnership. He noted that the 5G expansion via the satellite network will benefit rural communities where internet and wireless access remains difficult.
Social media platforms TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are facing questions in DC about consumer protections, data security, and product safety for young users. Emily Birnbaum, tech lobbying and influence reporter at Politico, joined Cheddar to provide some background into what led to the congressional hearing and the potential outcome. Birnbaum noted that social media platforms have been attempting to distance themselves from Facebook and the ongoing bad press it garnered in recent months.
Cisco's Webex Hologram is looking to transform workspaces with augmented reality technology. Jeetu Patel, EVP and general manager of security and collaboration at Cisco, joined Cheddar to provide some details about the virtual workspace and discuss the industries that might benefit most from it. "We're in the era of flexibility and choice and inclusivity, where people want to make sure that they can work on their terms so that they've got complete flexibility in how they structure the day," Patel said.
Apple could soon face a Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit after intensifying its probe into the tech giant, according to a report. The added scrutiny comes after the tech giant had already faced questioning in Washington and concluded an antitrust case brought by Epic Games.
John Nosta, WHO Technology Expert, joins Cheddar News to discuss evolving technology in the healthcare industry and the role 5G is playing in advancing healthcare delivery.
A stacked week of earnings this week as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and several others gear up to release their quarterly results. Earnings have so far exceeded expectations despite supply chain concerns and the ongoing pandemic. Daniel Newman, Futurum Research principal analyst, tells Cheddar which companies he's paying attention to this week.
