Private equity firm Berkeley Assets has acquired global investment and advisory service Cryptech a blockchain organisation which provides investment opportunities to individuals and institutions who want to explore the technology.
The acquisition comes at a time when Cryptech has expanded its reach globally, attracting interest from investors across the world, who are eager to explore the opportunities to achieve substantial short term growth in the technology, trading in cryptocurrencies as well as investing in innovative start-up companies that are creating blockchain technology solutions to revolutionise businesses globally.
With offices in Dubai and London, Cryptech invests in ideas and start-ups that are utilising blockchain as well as actively trades the top four cryptocurrencies in the world: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin, utilising a two-pronged strategy to deliver consistent gains across cryptocurrencies and blockchain.
Cryptech experts offer in-depth knowledge of blockchain technology and its uses, allowing them to identify leaders and opportunities in the market, and provide intuitive due diligence for cryptocurrencies by recognising trends and spikes in demand.
Mike Clark, Partner at Berkeley Assets, said: “Our acquisition of Cryptech makes perfect sense because Berkeley Assets has a history of investing in firms which lead from the front, show innovation and are forward thinking.
“While technology makes up the smallest sector of our business model, because it represents a higher risk compared to our core focus of tangible assets, we made the decision to invest because it is essential to establish the right opportunities in order to provide the maximum benefit to our clients.”
Berkeley Assets has appointed Omar Jackson as a new Partner to head up the Cryptech business, who brings a wealth of experience in the world of blockchain. He said: “Blockchain has become a new buzzword in business and for good reason. We believe the true long term value lies in the technology that is underpinning cryptocurrencies.
“We have seen blockchain being used in myriad applications across all industries, serving to radically transform the way businesses interact with customers and suppliers, and offering unseen levels of efficiency and security for all concerned.”
Berkeley Assets is an off-shore multi-asset company with investments in real estate, hospitality, logistics and technology. Investing in both property development projects and bridging and development finance projects, the company develops a diversified portfolio of existing and new to market concepts and businesses as part of a low-risk, yield-based strategy.
Justin Quan, Senior Associate at Berkeley Assets, said: “We have built a reputation of successful returns and smart investments, by consistently offering clients reliability and credibility. As a low risk organisation, we were initially not in favour of cryptocurrencies as an area for investment, however, with Omar’s experience combined with our due diligence into the sector, we have seen its true value and understand the short to medium-term gains that are possible.
“Even when it comes to advising on long-term gains, we are committed to ongoing research and investment into the technology behind blockchain.”
The adoption of blockchain has been a sweeping global trend for governments and leading organisations alike. Given the added benefits to security and transparent access to information, international organisations such as UPS, FedEx, Mastercard, Microsoft and Dell have all been quick to implement the technology.
Now, as investment banks implement ways to capitalise on cryptocurrencies, they are also investing in the technology behind the coins, valuing its power to transform traditional systems in which business is done. Cryptech believes that global financial and innovation hubs such as Dubai and London are primed to cement their lead as international centres for the technology; and they want to galvanise government agencies and their projects, ensuring success.
Jackson added: “Blockchain technology offers investors the potential to be involved in huge growth businesses where billions of dollars of wealth can be generated. In the last 12 months we have watched as blockchain start-ups have raised billions in capital and the world’s biggest banks and venture capitalists are heavily focused on investing in blockchain-based business models at early stages, believing that these companies will achieve huge valuations in the short to medium term.”
“We believe that blockchain offers the biggest opportunity in technology since the internet boom of the 1990s and like the internet, the technology is difficult to explain in simple terms but the potential applications are so wide and far reaching that they cannot be ignored.”
Cryptech offers clients a minimum investment option of USD$1,000/GBP1,000 which can be completed digitally in multiple currencies, allowing funds to be traded within and invested from the company’s corporate account. This paves the way for investors with a range of understanding on blockchain to gain a foothold and benefit from early stages of cryptocurrencies and the underlying technology, a right that has previously been mainly accessible to financial institutions and HNWIs only.