ICO Investment — Due diligence basics
Figuring out how to invest in an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) is harder than it looks. Before you can invest, for example, you have to choose one from the hundreds that are being launched every month. If this is your first ICO it’s easy to feel intimidated by all the technical details, or worse, persuaded by pretty websites and shiny press endorsements. But with a little common sense and some digging, it’s fairly easy to spot the scams and find some solid investments. Here are some steps I recommend you follow before making any ICO investment.
Go nowhere ICOs testing investor confidence
While startups tend to measure ICO success by how much money they have raised, investors, on the other hand, care more about how well the newly issued token they bought performs in the secondary market — and for many the results so far have been disappointing.
Blockchain investments and the new problem asset for conventional VCs
As of Q1 2016, in excess of $1.1 billion in private capital has been invested in blockchain and Bitcoin startups by traditional venture capital firms and seed investors. But as decentralized applications and marketplaces continue on the road to maturity, there is a problem. VCs might be asking themselves — are we investing in the correct asset class?
Toward more equitable token sale structures
At an accelerating pace, blockchain projects have been raising money to impressive levels by offering their digital assets to a global market of token sale investors. Earlier this year, DFINITY sold $3.9M worth of pre-seed assets in just 24 hours. A few days later, Melonport’s “contribution period” sold out over $2.9M worth of MLN tokens in just under 3 minutes. In 2017, many more companies and projects are gearing up to raise capital through this new methodology of decentralized crowdfunding.
IOSCO Research Report on Financial Technologies (Fintech)
This report is the result of extensive collaboration among different IOSCO Committees, with overall coordination by the Vice Chair of the CER.. The Report studies the evolution of Fintech and its intersection with securities market regulation in alternative financing platforms, retail trading and investment platforms, institutional trading platforms, distributed ledger technologies, fintech developments in emerging markets and regulatory considerations.
Global Advisors Bitcoin Fund listed on Channel Islands Securities Exchange
Global Advisors (Jersey) Limited (GAJL) recently announced that the Channel Islands Securities Exchange (CISE) has approved the Global Advisors Bitcoin Investment Fund plc (GABI). The open-ended fund has become the first digital asset-related listing on the Exchange and is, “the first regulated bitcoin fund to be listed on any exchange globally,” according to both company announcements.
Investment Outlook from Bill Gross: Doubling Down
Bill Gross, Portfolio Manager of the Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund, shares his outlook on the global financial markets.
International Corporate Finance
Rapidly-evolving legal landscapes, financing models, technological progress and shifting mindsets are paving the way to a new world of M&A and Private Equity investment.
Brelion ‘will insure investors against BitCoin fluctuation,’ during real estate crowd investing pilot
Brelion is an online platform that connects investors with real estate companies looking for loans. The company primarily lists non-owner occupied residential projects lasting 12 to 24 months, as well as small to mid-size apartment and commercial property ventures.
Bitcoin’s biggest Venture Capital deals of 2016 so far
Publicly-announced [Venture Capital investments](industry-resources/bitcoin-venture-capital-investments/) into Bitcoin and blockchain-related startups have more than doubled in amount during the first half of 2016 compared to last half of 2015, with about US$265.05 million invested now versus only $111.85 million for the previous half-year.
Japan’s Zaif bitcoin exchange launches a dollar-cost averaging investment service
Japanese cryptocurrency and blockchain technology FinTech Lab, [Tech Bureau Corporation](http://techbureau.jp/), recently [launched](http://techbureau.jp/247.html) a new bitcoin investment service, the Zaif Coin Reserve. Customers simply authorize a fixed monthly debit, and it’s automatically invested in bitcoin. Brave New Coin spoke with Tech Bureau CEO, Takao Asayama, who explained more about the new service. “This is a fusion of Japan's domestic payment method and crypto products, into a very interesting crypto investment program.”
Western Union won’t make the same mistake with Blockchain
Digital Currency Group is an investment firm founded in March 2015, by prolific Angel Investor Barry Silbert. The company has invested in 72 different companies, more than two-thirds of which operate in the bitcoin space. In the last four months alone, the company acquired the biggest bitcoin news site, CoinDesk, and along with it, the biggest bitcoin conference. The company already had investments in Bitpay, the industries leading payment service provider, as well as coinbase and Kraken, two of the largest platforms for trading bitcoin.
VC Investment Company, Banking on Blockchain Fund, joins the blockchain investment landscape
Life.SREDA recently announced a new fund called Banking on Blockchain Fund, or BB Fund for short. The Fund offers start-up capital for early stage blockchain companies, giving financial institutions access to the “rapidly-growing blockchain ecosystem.” The Fund starts with US$5m in capital, from Life.SREDA, with a near-term goal of expanding to $50 million by the end of the year. The long term goal is $100 million in backing from financial institutions by 2017.
KPMG and CB Insights are keeping their finger on the pulse of blockchain investments
A partnership was recently formed between KPMG and CB Insights. KPMG is a global network of professional firms which provide audit, tax and advisory services. CB Insights is a National Science Foundation that uses data science, machine learning and predictive analytics to help their customers invest. Together, they are working to produce a quarterly report, The Pulse of FinTech, which advises on market trends within the growing FinTech industry.
Banking reimagined: How disruptive forces will radically transform the industry in the decade ahead
In this special report, we examine how various disruptive trends we are seeing today in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain technology, collaborative ecosystems, cryptocurrencies, demographics, and customer experience are coming together to influence the future of banking. This outlook is part of Deloitteâs Financial Services Industry Outlooks series, which provides disruptive trends and bold predictions over the long term for banking, insurance, investment management, and commercial real estate.
Blockstream is going from strength to strength
Just six days after [Blockstream](https://blockstream.com) [announced](https://blockstream.com/2016/01/28/pwc-and-blockstream-announce-strategic-partnership) a strategic partnership with PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), an even larger [announcement](https://blockstream.com/2016/02/02/blockstream-new-investors-55-million-series-a/) from the bitcoin software development company has been announced.
