Kraken’s subsidiary is a quiet giant in Bitcoin ETF growth: Bloomberg

5 months ago 24
ARTICLE AD

The company is looking to capitalize on the global interest in Bitcoin ETFs and seeing potential in South Korea and Israel.

Kraken’s subsidiary, CF Benchmarks, is a quiet major player in the growing popularity of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Bloomberg reported on Friday. The company provides benchmark indexes for roughly $24 billion worth of crypto ETFs, including BlackRock’s US-based Bitcoin ETF and all six of the newly launched Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in Hong Kong.

CF Benchmarks operates by licensing its data to ETF providers, with fees that scale with the ETF’s investor base. The company claims it holds about half of the crypto benchmarking market. This dominance has placed CF Benchmarks at the heart of Bitcoin ETF growth, especially with the successful introduction of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US, which has led to increased revenue streams for the firm.

CF Benchmarks CEO, Sui Chung, reported that assets for US spot-Bitcoin ETFs utilizing CF Benchmarks’ indexes have exceeded expectations, reaching more than four times the anticipated $5 billion this year. He also predicted that Hong Kong products would manage up to $1 billion by the end of 2024.

Chung anticipates CF Benchmarks’ revenue to increase significantly this year and plans to expand their workforce by a third. The company is also setting its sights on new markets, including South Korea and Israel, where there is a strong affinity for digital assets and ETFs.

“South Korea is a market where ETFs have become the wrapper of choice for long-term savings,” Chung said. “It is also a market where digital assets have gained a high degree of adoption.”

From the US decline to Hong Kong’s modest start

While the launch of US spot Bitcoin ETFs initially drove Bitcoin’s price to a record high in March 2024, the price has faltered as investor demand for the funds has cooled. Bitcoin ETFs in the US witnessed their largest daily outflow on Wednesday, with assets under management closing at approximately $47 billion.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s debut of spot crypto ETFs was not particularly strong. On March 2, the second day of trading, Hong Kong’s three bitcoin exchange-traded funds saw inflows of $10.3 million, based on data from SoSoValue. This figure was considerably lower compared to the first trading day, with $240 million in inflows. Trading volume on both days reached $9.7 million.

However, these Hong Kong-listed spot Bitcoin funds currently hold around $238 million BTC in assets under management.

The information on or accessed through this website is obtained from independent sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, but Decentral Media, Inc. makes no representation or warranty as to the timeliness, completeness, or accuracy of any information on or accessed through this website. Decentral Media, Inc. is not an investment advisor. We do not give personalized investment advice or other financial advice. The information on this website is subject to change without notice. Some or all of the information on this website may become outdated, or it may be or become incomplete or inaccurate. We may, but are not obligated to, update any outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate information.

Crypto Briefing may augment articles with AI-generated content created by Crypto Briefing’s own proprietary AI platform. We use AI as a tool to deliver fast, valuable and actionable information without losing the insight - and oversight - of experienced crypto natives. All AI augmented content is carefully reviewed, including for factural accuracy, by our editors and writers, and always draws from multiple primary and secondary sources when available to create our stories and articles.

You should never make an investment decision on an ICO, IEO, or other investment based on the information on this website, and you should never interpret or otherwise rely on any of the information on this website as investment advice. We strongly recommend that you consult a licensed investment advisor or other qualified financial professional if you are seeking investment advice on an ICO, IEO, or other investment. We do not accept compensation in any form for analyzing or reporting on any ICO, IEO, cryptocurrency, currency, tokenized sales, securities, or commodities.

See full terms and conditions.

Read Entire Article