Marshall Wace, a London-based hedge fund giant managing about $55 billion in assets, is reportedly planning a major move into cryptocurrency and blockchain investment. The hedge fund firm is preparing to launch a dedicated portfolio, targeting investments in the digital asset industry, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Citing anonymous people familiar with the matter, the report notes that the new initiative will focus on investing in privatelyowned digital finance companies working in areas like blockchain technology and payments systems for digital currencies and stablecoins. It is believed that Marshall Wace’s new digital finance portfolio will be headed by Amit …
New York-based blockchain startup Flexa has raised $14.1 million to develop a payments network for retailers. The development was announced in a press release published on April 11. Per the release, Flexa has raised $14.1 million in funding from such participants as early stage token fund 1kx, investment firms Access Ventures and Nima Capital, and hedge fund Pantera Capital, which recently revealed that it was close to completing funding for its third venture fund, already raising $160 million. The company intends to create a payment network for retailers that would reduce costs, overhead, and fraudulence by means of blockchain-based settlements. …
The share price of the Intercontinental Exchange-backed crypto services company Bakkt ($BKKT) has surged as it unveiled two partnerships with major global payments firms. On Monday 25 Oct., Mastercard announced it would be working with digital asset platform Bakkt to allow its customers based in the United States to buy, sell and hold digital assets through custodial wallets. On the same day, global payment provider Fiserv also announced a strategic collaboration with Bakkt to offer merchant-facing digital asset services. The news drove a bullish day of trading for BKKT, with the stock rallying by more than 50% outside of regular …
Bitcoin (BTC) is a New York state of mind thing for Eric Adams, the crypto advocate serving as the 110th Mayor of New York City. He received his first Bitcoin payout on Friday during some epic downward price action, and was unflappable when asked about losses during an interview. The Bitcoin price has taken a nosedive from Friday highs of $41,000 to $35,000, meaning Adams has effectively taken a 15% haircut on his first wages. In light of the plummeting price action, a CNN interviewer asked on Jan. 23, “How much money did you lose, and do you have any …
Goldenstone Acquisition Ltd, a special-purpose acquisition firm (SPAC), has announced plans to go public with blockchain-based payments firm Roxe Holding Inc. As per the Wednesday announcement, the SPAC has agreed to a $3.6 billion merger with the global blockchain payments firm, which will see Roxe listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker ROXE. Roxe is a global payments company that offers both business-to-business and consumer payments services, with a focus on blockchain technology. According to a Reuters report, citing insider sources, no current stockholders of Roxe are planning to sell their stake after the merger. On Tuesday, Roxe stated that …