Switzerland-based digital asset bank Sygnum Group and SBI Group, a Japan based financial conglomerate, have entered into a partnership to establish an early-stage fund investing in digital asset opportunities across South East Asia and Europe.
Its Singapore entity, Sygnum Pte. Ltd. and SBI Ventures Singapore Pte. Ltd. will provide unique investment exposure to the innovation and growth in digital asset solutions.
These opportunities will be primarily focused on financial market infrastructure and enterprise solutions being developed for the emerging digital asset economy.
Investors in the fund will benefit from the complementary expertise that Sygnum and SBI bring to the table as well as the strength of their combined network in both Asia and Europe.
Read also – Fintech startup slice raises Rs 46 cr in pre-Series B round led by Japan-based Gunosy
Sygnum is a digital asset specialist with a Swiss banking and securities dealer license and a capital markets services (CMS) license for asset management in Singapore. It has also played a key role in successfully launching a number of Swiss digital asset-focused start-ups over the past two years.
SBI Group is a founding member of the Japan Security Token Offering (STO) Association, and a seasoned investor in the space, having invested in prominent DLT companies such as Ripple Inc. and R3.
With an AUM of over USD 4 billion, it has a proven track record of investing in early-stage companies in the financial services and technology sectors in Asia and helping these businesses to grow successfully.
Both partners expect to play an active role with the fund’s portfolio companies by enhancing corporate governance and providing business development and operational support.
Read also – At SoftBank, almost everyone thinks going private is a bad idea
The partners also intend to tokenise the fund structure in order to increase accessibility for investors and offer them the potential for greater liquidity post-investment.
“With this fund, Sygnum’s asset management clients will be able to obtain access to a different aspect of the digital asset economy – the innovation and growth of digital asset solutions being brought to the market by some of the most exciting startups in the world. We will also pursue opportunities to distribute this fund offering in Switzerland through Sygnum Bank AG,” says Fabian Dori, Sygnum’s Head of Asset Management.
“DLT has the potential to transform financial infrastructure and spearhead financial inclusion. The SBI Group is committed to being at the forefront of this transformation by actively driving the growth of start-ups within this space through our broad ecosystem of group and investee companies as well as institutional partners.” said Ryosuke Hayashi, Managing Director and CEO of SBI Ven Capital.
