Skip to main content

Crypto Exchange FTX Buys Blockfolio for $150 Million in Effort To Expand Retail Presence

Crypto Exchange FTX Buys Blockfolio for $150 Million in Effort To Expand Retail Presence

Cryptocurrency derivatives exchange FTX has acquired the popular portfolio tracking app Blockfolio for $150 million in a bid to gain a foothold in the crypto retail market.

The deal – consummated after nine months of negotiation – was settled using a combination of cash, crypto, and stock, both companies detailed. It is one of the biggest acquisitions in the digital asset industry’s short history.

According to a blog post published Aug. 26, the firms are currently working on a retail trading application that is expected to fit into Blockfolio’s existing product offering. The newest app will be released in September. The companies did not provide further details about the planned feature.

For Hong Kong-based FTX, the plan is to expand into the retail market by leveraging Blockfolio’s popularity. The app, which boasts six million users and 150 million page views each month, allows retail traders to track crypto prices and monitor their portfolios in real-time. More than 600 exchangers utilize Blockfolio’s tools to communicate with their customers.

Launched in 2019, FTX provides a suite of crypto derivatives trading products such as futures and options contracts. The exchange reportedly manages $750 million of trading volume per day. FTX is also planning to launch a decentralized exchange (DEX) called Serum on the Solana blockchain soon. Blockfolio is targeting to tap into this market.

Ed Moncada, chief executive officer and co-founder of Blockfolio, was quoted by industry media as saying:

We believe crypto is on the cusp of mainstream adoption. So we are thrilled with the potential of uniting one of the best product teams in our industry with what we are convinced is the best exchange in the space.

In a press statement, FTX said the acquisition of Blockfolio represents “a chance to bring its powerful trading suite and industry-leading liquidity to a new audience.”

The exchange’s CEO Sam Bankman-Fried added: “The goal here is to be able to offer the best product that can leverage the loyal following that Ed has built out. That means giving access to Blockfolio to all of the entities we have and for each user, hooking them up with what fits them.”

The FTX-Blockfolio deal ranks among the largest mergers and acquisitions within the crypto industry. It is smaller than Binance’s reported $400 million purchase of Coinmarketcap as well as the $350 million merger of Lightyear and Chan, which led to the founding of Interstellar. However, it is bigger than the Tron Foundation’s $125 million acquisition of Bit Torrent.

What do you think about FTX’s acquisition of Blockfolio? Let us know in the comment section below.

The post Crypto Exchange FTX Buys Blockfolio for $150 Million in Effort To Expand Retail Presence appeared first on Bitcoin News.



from Bitcoin News https://ift.tt/3llSC0S

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Deep Web Roundup: Dream Adds Monero and Bitcoin Tumbler “Chip Mixer” Launches

The darknet has been quiet of late, which is the way it’s meant to be. No news means no mega busts, honeypots, or mass market shutdowns. Even when it’s out of the spotlight though, the deep web is quietly making news, whether trialling the latest privacy coins or the newest coin mixers that promise to restore a little of the privacy that’s being stripped away from bitcoin users on a daily basis. Also read: U.S. Agency ICE Conducts Investigations That Exploit Blockchain Activity The Battle for Privacy Heats Up Privacy is all relative, but of late there’s been relatively little privacy to be enjoyed by bitcoin users. Blockchain monitoring software is becoming more sophisticated and more common, with U.S. law enforcement agencies using it to profile and hunt down deep web users. Chip Mixer is a relatively new bitcoin tumbler that’s designed to restore some of that privacy. Available on both the clearnet and darknet, the service uses a variety of techniques to obfuscate blockchain m...

International Crypto Exchange Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading

Luno exchange has added bitcoin cash trading to the platform following feedback from its client base. BCH is now only the third cryptocurrency available for trading on the exchange, in addition to BTC and ETH , but more options could be on the way once Luno determines that they are credible enough. Also Read: Bitflyer Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Across Europe and the US Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Luno, the London-headquartered company formerly known as Bitx, recently announced that bitcoin cash was made available on its cryptocurrency exchange. Starting from Monday, September 23, customers at Luno are now able to store, buy and sell BCH on the platform. The reason given for adding BCH to the exchange is feedback from users in developing markets that convinced Luno to expand their offering from previously just BTC and ETH . Marcus Swanepoel, CEO of Luno, said , “We are in a new and exciting financial era. Developing economies are leading the large-scale adoption and appli...

Ombudsman Receives Complaints About Crypto Investments in Spain

The Spanish ombudsman has been receiving complaints about cryptocurrency and how some Spanish citizens investing in these vehicles have lost everything. In his annual report, Angel Gabilondo recognized the rise of cryptocurrencies as a new problem due to the little or no regulation crypto sees in the country. In the same way, the EU has also warned about these assets recently. Spanish Ombudsman Gives His Take on Crypto Angel Gabilondo, the Spanish ombudsman, has given his take regarding cryptocurrencies and the effects they have on citizens investing in some of these projects. Gabilondo said in his yearly report that cryptocurrencies have become “a new problem” during the year examined, with many people having lost all of their funds invested. The report states : Cryptocurrency exchange companies or platforms are not regulated in the legal system, are not subject to any public supervision system, nor do they benefit from deposit guarantee systems. The affected users that sought...