Crypto Hedge Fund Launches Retail Public Offering in Japan

Epoch Partners launched the retail public offering for a new hedge fund in Japan this week that will focus on cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Subscriptions for the offering, which opened on Oct. 15, have been capped at 100 billion yen ($892 million).

Also Read: Research: 1 of 5 New Hedge Funds in 2018 Is a Crypto Fund

Diverse Crypto Exposure
for Japanese Investors

The company, which is based in the Cayman Islands, said the new Epoch Digital Assets fund will invest in a range of investment vehicles with broad exposure to various cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings and other digital assets. The hedge fund, which will seek aggressive returns while attempting to offset volatility, aims to offer retail investors diversified exposure to the crypto market via small investments.

Teneo Partners will market the fund in Japan in cooperation with a number of other undisclosed securities firms throughout the country. “As a fully licensed Japanese securities company that specializes in offering offshore alternative funds to Japanese investors, we are delighted to be working with Epoch Partners,” said Stanley Howard, CEO of the Tokyo-based firm.

“The ability to offer a truly unique diversified digital asset fund to our distribution and investor networks allows us to more fully address the increasingly diverse investment needs of our clientele and to differentiate ourselves from our competitors within the Japanese securities industry.”

Enormous Potential

James Skinner, a partner at Epoch Partners, described Japan as a “leader” in the promotion of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. “They were the first market to create a proper regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, and as such can be seen as the world pioneer in this area,” he said. “We were very keen to undertake the world’s first public offering of a cryptocurrency fund in Japan and look forward to great things ahead.”

However, Skinner added that he still sees plenty of room for growth in the country. “The asset class is still young, but the movement to more institutional players like Goldman Sachs and Nomura entering the space shows the great potential of this area,” he explained. “In the future, digital assets are likely to become an integrated part of investment portfolios, similar to equities and fixed income products today, albeit on a smaller scale.”

Is Japan set to become the world’s crypto finance capital? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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