Nomura’s Laser Digital Launches Ethereum Adoption Fund for Institutional Investors

Laser Digital, a subsidiary of financial services giant Nomura, has launched an Ethereum Adoption Fund aimed at institutional investors, as announced on 9th November 2023. This fund, centered in London and Dubai, is a strategic move to bolster the presence of Ethereum in the investment portfolios of institutions, enhancing the digital asset’s footprint in the global financial market.

Laser Digital has been actively supporting cryptocurrency and digital asset initiatives. In 2023, the company introduced its first cryptocurrency fund, the Bitcoin Adoption Fund, offering institutional investors long-only exposure to Bitcoin. The company’s asset management unit was formed in February 2023, with team members in London, Zurich, and Dubai. In July 2023, the company received full crypto licensing from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority. Laser Digital’s entry into fund management focused on digital assets was initiated in 2020 with the crypto custodian Komainu.

This Ethereum-focused fund is the latest in a sequence of digital asset solutions initiated by Laser Digital Asset Management. The series began with the introduction of the Bitcoin Adoption Fund in September. This new fund, titled ‘Laser Digital Ethereum Adoption Fund SP’, is set up as a segregated portfolio under Laser Digital Funds SPC, registered in the Cayman Islands, signaling a structured approach to digital asset investment.

The fund’s assets are secured and regulated through Komainu, a custodian regulated by both the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the Dubai Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority. This highlights the fund’s commitment to ensuring compliance with financial regulatory standards and asset security.

Under the leadership of Sebastian Guglietta, former Chief Scientist Officer at Nomura, and Fiona King, previously of Nickel Digital Asset Management, the fund aims to leverage Ethereum’s potential in driving the economy’s shift from analogue to digital. Guglietta and King bring extensive experience in investment strategies and institutional business to Laser Digital.

With this launch, Laser Digital accentuates its belief in Ethereum as a pivotal technology in the ongoing digital transformation of the economy. The fund is designed not only to invest in Ethereum but also to implement a yield enhancement strategy through staking, catering to the evolving needs of institutional investors in the digital age.

Backed by Nomura, Laser Digital has been actively working to create opportunities in the realm of digital assets, combining the rigor of traditional investment banking with the agility of a crypto-native team. Headquartered in Switzerland, the firm is focused on responsible and compliant engagement in the digital asset market.

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Three Arrows Buys Your ETH, Addresses Swell After Hinting Bearish Stand

ETH had seen its price take a tumble along with the rest of the market in the January market crash. But while the broader market had panicked, whales had seen this as an opportunity to fill up their bags at low prices. It was basically a free-for-all as sell-offs had rocked the digital asset. Three Arrows Capital was among those who had taken advantage of the low prices.

The hedge fund which is headed by Su Zhu had loaded up on ethereum, pouring tens of millions of dollars into the asset. This comes despite CEO Su Zhu’s comments about the Ethereum network, which he has disparaged in the past. It seems that while Zhu may no longer be a fan of ethereum, his firm is taking the step to leverage the opportunities presented by the network.

3AC Buys $56 Million Worth Of ETH

A new report from Wu Blockchain has shown that Three Arrows Capital (3AC) had been ramping up its crypto buying activities. The firm had gone on a buying spree that came out to more than $50 million worth of ETH purchased. An address that was identified to belong to the hedge fund had been rapidly buying thousands of ETH over a couple of days.

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In three days, 3AC had accumulated a total of $56.67 million worth of ETH, coming out to 18,575 ETH purchased in three days.

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Most of these ETH had come in increments of 2,000 at a time, staking up over time to a significant balance. As of the time of this writing, the total value of the Ether had grown by almost $2 million, now sitting at over $58.5 million.

3AC CEO Does Not Like Ethereum

CEO of 3AC, Su Zhu, has not been the biggest fan of Ethereum in recent times. In November last year, NewsBTC had reported that the CEO had reportedly said that he was leaving the ethereum project behind. This is a project that Zhu has supported in the past but he had given reasons for him taking this decision, the high cost of a transaction is at the top of the list.

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Zhu lamented that ETH had abandoned its users due to its high fees. At that point, the transaction fees had risen exponentially due to the high traffic on the network, leaving smaller investors being unable to use transact on the blockchain. Zhu had referred to the situation as “gross” given that newcomers were unable to enter the space due to high fees.

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com

ETH plunges to $3,100 | Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com

The CEO’s lamentations had not affected his investment firm’s view on the digital asset, however. About two weeks after Zhu had made the comments, Three Arrows Capital had purchased 156,400 ETH for about $676.37 million and had transferred it to its wallet which Wu Blockchain had identified as belonging to the firm.

Zhu, too, had softened his stance on the ethereum network after widespread backlash, saying that he loved “Ethereum and what it stands for.” Nevertheless, 3AC has maintained its support for the network. This is evidenced by the rapid rate at which the firm has been accumulating ETH.

Featured image from Ethereum Price, chart from TradingView.com

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The Uber Rich Investors Are Picking This Altcoin Over Bitcoin

For many years and likely many years to come, bitcoin has been the number 1 digital asset for investors, especially those looking to invest in the long-term. When big money started entering into the crypto space, bitcoin was the first stop before it diversified into other assets. However, as time as gone by and more altcoins are beginning to gain popularity, bitcoin is losing its hold as the number 1 choice for investors.

A recent survey that featured respondents from the ultra-wealthy class showed that they did not favor bitcoin as their first choice. Rather, they picked an altcoin whose growth has rivaled and even surpassed that of bitcoin since its inception.

Ethereum Comes On Top

Crypto.com revealed that the wealthy are gradually moving away from bitcoin. Their obvious choice besides the leading cryptocurrency is ethereum, which is currently the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

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The numbers provided by the crypto exchange showed that ethereum has made its mark on the wealthy. With its broad range of use cases and applications, like decentralized finance (DeFi) and NFTs, the value of the cryptocurrency has shot up exponentially. And with that has come more confidence from investors.

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Crypto.com reached that that ethereum beat out bitcoin by 1% when it comes to the number of high-value investors going into crypto. Bitcoin came out at 33%, while ethereum made the top of the list at 34%, proving to be the preferred digital asset for investment purposes. Crypto funds came in third at 23%, other altcoins dominated at 15%, while Dogecoin, surprisingly, made the list with 2% of investors wanting to invest in the meme coin.

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The crypto exchange also noted that about 1 billion people are expected to be invested in the crypto market by 2022. By the look of things, ethereum may see a larger share of investors compared to bitcoin.

But Why ETH?

Well, for those investing in the crypto space, there could be a number of factors. One is the low-interest rates offered by banks and returns from traditional investment avenues like stock and bonds being too low to combat the inflation rate. So in order to keep inflation from eating away at their wealth, these investors have chosen the crypto market for their needs.

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com

ETH recovers to $2,600 | Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com

Bitcoin had been the inflation hedge of choice for years before now. But all of that is changing as the ethereum network has taken major steps towards becoming deflationary. President and Founder of TIGER 21, Michael Sonnenfeldt, notes that the high inflation rates are what is pushing the uber-wealthy investors towards crypto, and by extension, ethereum.

“Like all investors, the super-rich are concerned about inflation and are looking to preserve their wealth in 2022,” said Sonnenfeldt.

Related Reading | Ethereum Whales Quietly Filled Up On ETH While Broader Market Panicked

Likewise, another member of TIGER 21 explained that investors are starting to favor ethereum over bitcoin. Additionally, similar projects like Solana and Avalanche are also enjoying this support.

“I am very bullish on both Bitcoin and ETH. My personal assessment is that the tide is turning in favor of ETH. I also like Ethereum alternatives like Solana and Avalanche.” – Andy Sack, member of TIGER 21.

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Ethereum Whales Quietly Filled Up On ETH While Broader Market Panicked

Ethereum crumbled with the market during the last crash and is yet to recover to previous levels. The crash was characterized by sell-offs and liquidations from all angles, which continued even when the price dumped further. Fear of a bear market sparked this as investors wanted to get out before the price fell further. But not everyone followed this trend of dumping.

Whales have always been known to move differently from smaller investors when it comes to the crypto market and this time was no different. While investors panic sold their holdings at low prices, these whales quietly gobbled up the ETH being dumped on the market, increasing their dominance in the market once again.

Whales Fill Up On ETH

In the last few weeks, whales have taken advantage of the declining market values to buy cryptocurrencies at what can be essentially said to be a discount. The price of Ethereum had dumped as low as $2,100 following the crash, leaving even more room for the whales to increase their holdings. Smaller investors had followed suit but only after whales had bought hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ETH.

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During this time, the number of addresses holding more than 10,000 ETH on their balances had also increased significantly. These whales had altogether purchased more than $500 million in ETH in only a couple of weeks.

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com

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ETH recovers to $2,400 post-crash | Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com

This renewed support from whales and smaller investors had worked to slow down the decline of the digital asset. But proved to be not enough to spark a rebound back up to previous values. Despite growing support from these large investors, the market has remained in extreme fear, pointing to intense wariness from investors. This has caused them to hold back from putting any more money in the market.

Ethereum Struggles To Stay Afloat

Since the crash towards the low $2,100, Ethereum has had a hard time recovering in the market. While a bounce-back that was triggered by pioneer cryptocurrency bitcoin saw it recover above $2,400, it has not recorded much in the way of upward momentum since then.

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Indicators point to the week playing out with continued low momentum for the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. It had previously tested the $2,700 point on Wednesday but had promptly taken a beating down that brought it back to $2,400.

ETH is trading below its 5-day, 20-day, 100-day, and 200-day moving averages for the first time in a year. Market sentiments remain bearish with more downtrend expected to come as support from whales taper off.

As of the time of writing, the digital asset is trading at $2,461, down 2.97% in the last 24 hours. Trading volume is up significantly over the same time period but is yet to translate into a higher value for the asset.

Featured image from Nairametrics, chart from TradingView.com

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American Rapper Lil Baby On Holding Bitcoin And Ethereum Over Fiat

For years now, some investors have preferred to hold their wealth in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum as opposed to cash. As cryptocurrencies become more popular, this school of thought has become more widely shared to the point where even billionaires and celebrities have publicly come out to say that they would rather hold their wealth in digital assets rather than fiat.

One of the latest celebrities to profess their support for bitcoin and ethereum is American rapper, Lil Baby. The rapper who rose to prominence in the last couple of years has said that he would rather hold his wealth in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum as opposed to holding cash.

Lil Baby Wants His Money In Bitcoin And Ethereum

American rapper Lil Baby was shopping on Icebox when he was asked about where he puts his money. The rapper is known to be a regular at the luxury jeweler with a running internet joke that people will “run into Lil Baby” when they visit the jeweler.

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While shopping, the rapper expressed his displeasure with cash. When asked what he would prefer to cash, Lil Baby explained that he would rather have all of his money in bitcoin and ethereum, the top 2 cryptocurrencies currently in the space.

Pointing to the bag of cash he brought with him to purchase jewelry, he said that was the last bit of cash he had. The rapper is known to drop thousands of dollars at a time for some ‘iced out’ jewelry, which has grown to be somewhat of a status symbol among famous people.

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Bitcoin price chart from TradingView.com

BTC trading at $41K | Source: BTCUSD on TradingView.com

Lil Baby also expressed his interest in the metaverse. He told the attendant that he didn’t live in the real world, living instead in the metaverse. As for cash, he said that he wasn’t carrying any more cash, stating “I ain’t walking around with cash no more.”

Celebrities Dive Into Cryptocurrencies

Lil Baby is not the first to show support for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ethereum. Some might even say he’s a little late to the game. 50 Cent made headlines in the 2017/2018 bull market when he revealed that he had found 700 bitcoins generated from album sales which were then worth millions.

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Rapper Busta Rhymes showed interest in the market last year during the peak of the Dogecoin hype. After what seemed to be a rollercoaster of a learning curve, he had finally settled on investing in bitcoin, later revealing his intention to charge bitcoin for future deals.

Hip Hop star Megan Thee Stallion teamed up in August with Cash App to educate fans on cryptocurrencies. The partnership involved video tailored towards her fanbase, as well as a $1 million in bitcoin giveaway on the app.

Featured image from XXL Mag, chart from TradingView.com

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JPMorgan Lists Ethereum As A Better Investment Than Bitcoin

Ethereum has proved itself be to a force to be reckoned with and big bank JPMorgan agrees. When it comes to performance, Ethereum has outperformed rival Bitcoin, although the latter remains the most valuable cryptocurrency in the space. However, if history is any indication to go by, then Bitcoin may not be in the lead for much longer.

Analysts at JPMorgan recently released a report on cryptocurrencies and their potential. Although the note acknowledged the ability of Bitcoin, it also puts Ethereum ahead of the leading cryptocurrency in coming years. The report based its argument on the utility of both assets. While Bitcoin is good for its monetary policy, Ethereum has proven to be even better.

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Invest In Ethereum

The JPMorgan note outlined how Etheruem could prove to be the better bet compared to Bitcoin in the long wrong. Bitcoin may still be the most valuable cryptocurrency, but with climbing interest rates, Ethereum could end up faring better.

“The rise in bond yields and the eventual normalization of monetary policy is putting downward pressure on bitcoin as a form of digital gold, the same way higher real yields have been putting downward pressure on traditional gold,” said the analysts.

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com

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ETH recovers above $4,300 | Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com

This is because as interest and inflation rates rise, more investors will flock towards decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, which offer more attractive interest rates than traditional finance. Given that majority of these DeFi protocols are built on the Ethereum blockchain, it will only drive more adoption in the digital asset, providing it more room to grow than Bitcoin.

In the note, JPMorgan also points to the budding NFT, gaming, and stable coins portion of the market. This makes it a “safer” bet than Bitcoin when it comes to investing in cryptocurrencies, which are infamous for their volatility. As interest rates rise, its underlying utility should be able to help it maintain its value, the note reads.

“With Ethereum deriving its value from its applications, ranging from DeFi to gaming to NFTs and stablecoins, it appears less susceptible than bitcoin to higher real yields.”

Outperformance For The Future

Analysts at world-leading bank JPMorgan also put forward other reasons that Ethereum could end up being a better investment option than Bitcoin. One of these was the fact that the altcoin has consistently outperformed Bitcoin year-over-year. The numbers for 2021 alone show a wide margin when both digital assets are compared side by side in terms of performance.

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Ethereum has grown more than 500% in the year compared to Bitcoin’s 96%. If the asset maintains this rate, then it could very well surpass the market cap of Bitcoin in the next five years while returning higher gains for its investors.

In five years, Ethereum has grown to about half the total market cap of Bitcoin. Sitting at over half a trillion dollars, the digital asset surpassed giants like Visa, MasterCard, and JPMorgan to claim the 15th spot as the most valuable asset in the world.

Featured image from Coingape, chart from TradingView.com

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Investors Expect Ethereum To Outgrow Bitcoin, According To CoinShares Survey

Investor interest in Ethereum is no longer a novel phenomenon. The second-largest asset by market cap has seen more support with the rise of decentralized finance on its ecosystem. Applications of Ethereum have been the major drive behind the growth of the cryptocurrency and institutional and individual investors alike see the asset outgrowing number 1 coin Bitcoin in the coming years.

A recent CoinShares survey has echoed the sentiment that has been held by investors in the market for a while now. It showed that number of investors who believe Ethereum is set to outpace Bitcoin is over twice the number of investors who are bullish on the growth of bitcoin. Lately, investors have been moving out of their bitcoin positions in favor of ethereum, and the CoinShares survey shows that this might only be the beginning.

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Investors Want Ethereum

The CoinShares survey shed light on investors’ sentiment around the top crypto projects in the market. When asked, 42% of respondents said that they saw the most compelling growth outlook for Ethereum. While 18% said that they saw a compelling growth outlook for bitcoin. The survey showed that Ethereum was regarded as the project to grow the most in the coming years.

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com


ETH price settles at $3,600 | Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com

This does not although take away anything from bitcoin. Blockchain structuring has allowed Ethereum to be at the forefront of one of the most important investment spaces in crypto; the DeFi market. The bitcoin blockchain is gearing up to compete in this space against the likes of Ethereum and Solana with the launch of smart contracts on the network. Expanding the crypto-asset’s utility beyond just its monetary policy.

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Investors Reveal Reasons For Investing

When asked what the biggest motivator for investing in cryptocurrencies was, the top answer was surprisingly not the value of the assets themselves or even diversification. 35% of respondents said that they were investing in the market because the assets were speculative. Only 25% said they used cryptocurrencies as a way to diversify their portfolios. With about 15% investing for the value of the assets.

Respondents also said that regulation, restrictions, and volatility were the biggest hindrance to investing in the crypto market. Regulation also made the top when respondents were asked about the key risks associated with digital assets. A combined 58% said government bans and regulations currently pose the biggest threat to the digital assets market.

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Despite growing interest from institutional investors, individual investors still dominate the cryptocurrency market. 45% of investors said they were invested in the market individually. While Europe and the Middle East possess the largest amount of domiciled funds, with about 70% saying their funds were domiciled in the region.

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Venture Capitalist Bill Gurley Takes Personal Position In Ethereum, Here’s Why

Investing in Ethereum seems to be top of mind for prominent members of the finance community. The increasing use cases of the Ethereum network have brought some significant names into its camp. The latest on the list though is venture Capitalist Bill Gurley. Gurley is a general partner at Benchmark, which is a Silicon Valley venture capital firm that is based in Menlo Park, California. Gurley has been listed consistently on the Forbes Midas List, while simultaneously being considered one of the technology’s top dealmakers.

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Gurley’s latest investment interest now happens to be Ethereum. The venture capitalist revealed that he had taken a personal interest in Ether, thus leading to him taking a personal position in the digital asset, which he now owns.

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Gurley Swayed By Ethereum Community

Venture capitalist Bill Gurley explained why he had taken a position in Ethereum. Gurley said that he had been swayed by arguments being made for ETH, thus prom timing him to take a personal position in the asset. “I have to say I was swayed by the arguments of the Ethereum crowd,” Gurley revealed. “And so, I’ve taken a personal position.”

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Another important point for Gurley is the commitment of the Ethereum team to the project and its community. “The party that’s involved seems to be way more pragmatic,” said Gurley. “ They seem to be more open to changes and are basically making several changes which I think will bring down fees and will be very beneficial. The developer community is clearly in the Ethereum cam.”

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Gurley also explained that he was not making an argument for everyone being involved in crypto. Neither did his current investments make him a maximalist in any way.

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com

Ethereum price chart from TradingView.com


ETH price breaks three-month high | Source: ETHUSD on TradingView.com

“I think there’s a ESG (environmental, social, and governance) benefit once they move to proof of stake versus bitcoin. It seems to me to be the smarter way to play if you’re going to have crypto exposure.”

Gurley clarified that his investment in Ether was a personal one and that it had nothing to do with his venture firm. Furthermore, Gurley did not disclose how much he had bought in ETH. Only that he had taken a personal position in the asset.

Robinhood Is More Like A Casino

Bill Gurley had some comments about Robinhood’s recent reveal. The trading company had revealed earlier that more than half of revenue had come from crypto trading. With 62% of its entire crypto trading revenue coming from the meme coin Dogecoin alone.

The venture capitalist stressed that Robinhood’s current business model was not a sound one. He likened the business model of Robinhood to that of a casino rather than an investment platform.

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It is not clear how much Robinhood plans to focus on crypto trading on the platform. While investors can also invest in coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum on the platform, most favor investing in Dogecoin. This has led to massive growth for Robinhood. But the sustainability of this business model remains to be seen.

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Bitcoin (BTC) $ 43,277.60 1.29%
Ethereum (ETH) $ 2,360.55 5.21%
Litecoin (LTC) $ 73.90 1.03%
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) $ 245.96 0.13%