Latest news with #Sygnum
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How high will bitcoin rise if Mag 7 start buying
In this episode of Yahoo Finance Future Focus, our host Brian McGleenon speaks with Fabian Dori, Chief Investment Officer at Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum, about the growing interest among major tech companies, known as the Magnificent Seven, in bitcoin as a potential treasury asset. Dori reveals that while only Tesla has officially disclosed bitcoin holdings, several of these firms have considered it as a way to diversify their corporate treasuries. He explains that the combination of rising shareholder interest, bitcoin's fixed supply, and increasing regulatory clarity could make digital assets more attractive to cash-rich tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet. Dori also outlines why institutional investors are taking a renewed interest in bitcoin and ether. He points to bitcoin's scarcity-driven appeal as a hedge and store of value, while highlighting ether's dual identity as both a yield-generating asset and foundational Web3 infrastructure. With institutional flows picking up and ETF access making crypto more approachable for traditional finance, Dori says we may be witnessing a pivotal shift in how leading firms think about digital assets, not just as speculative instruments, but as strategic financial tools. Related videos 'My girlfriend is a millionaire, but I live on the breadline' These 4 FTSE 100 stocks are currently yielding more than 8%! Could this trigger a stock market crash? The FTSE 100 sits at a record high. But some stocks still look dirt cheap! Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Apple, Amazon and other tech giants are considering bitcoin
Interest in bitcoin (BTC-USD) as a corporate treasury asset is growing among the world's largest tech companies, collectively known as the Magnificent 7. While Tesla (TSLA) remains the only member of the group to publicly hold bitcoin, several others have reportedly explored the idea as a way to diversify their massive cash reserves. Rising interest in bitcoin comes amid increasing shareholder pressure, greater regulatory clarity, and broader state-and national-level moves to recognise digital assets as strategic reserves. At the heart of this potential shift is bitcoin's built-in scarcity, and the reality that even modest allocations from trillion-dollar companies could significantly influence its market valuation. Read more: Crypto live prices Speaking toYahoo Finance Future Focus, Fabian Dori, chief investment officer at Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum, offered a glimpse into what he described as a "pivotal moment" for bitcoin's institutional legitimacy. Mag seven companies eye bitcoin The Magnificent 7 — Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Meta (META), Tesla (TSLA), and NVIDIA (NVDA) — hold not just dominant market positions, but vast cash reserves that could decisively shape the financial markets with even marginal reallocations. "Many of these companies have actually considered bitcoin as an asset to diversify their corporate treasury base," said Dori. 'But only Tesla has so far disclosed holdings in bitcoin.' Still, the landscape is shifting. Microsoft and Meta both held shareholder votes over the past year to approve bitcoin allocation proposals, both were ultimately rejected, but the conversation is no longer hypothetical. Amazon has seen similar proposals floated. As for Apple, Dori noted that while the company has no formal plan to allocate to bitcoin, its CEO Tim Cook has personally disclosed ownership of the digital asset. 'If those companies would adopt bitcoin as a treasury asset, that would have a significant impact,' Dori said. 'Even a small allocation would probably drive markets quite significantly and quite positively.' Given the fixed supply of bitcoin, capped at 21 million coins, the implication is clear: demand from balance sheets that collectively control trillions in cash reserves could ignite an unprecedented supply squeeze. How institutional adoption could impact bitcoin's price Dori explained that institutional uptake by the Mag 7 would not only move the market with their own allocations, but could also create a powerful demonstration effect. 'It would have a leading impact, because many other companies would probably imitate the corporate asset strategy,' he said. Read more: Why bitcoin and gold are rallying as bond yields hit 30-year highs That mimetic momentum has already been seen on a smaller scale. Outside the Magnificent 7, firms like Strategy (MSTR), formerly MicroStrategy, have built reputations on bitcoin-centric treasury strategies. But Dori points out a distinction — those companies are 'focusing their corporate assets on bitcoin only,' while the big tech players would likely use bitcoin as a diversification tool within a broader asset mix. Nonetheless, the implication is powerful — Bitcoin is becoming not just a fringe asset or speculative vehicle, but a strategic consideration for blue-chip corporations. The rise of strategic bitcoin reserves The trend isn't confined to the private sector. State and national governments, particularly in the US, are now actively weighing or enacting strategies that involve bitcoin reserves. 'New Hampshire was the first to approve actively buying crypto assets that exceed a certain market capital threshold with public funds,' Dori said. 'Arizona also accepted a strategic bitcoin reserve, and the governor of Texas signed the strategic bitcoin reserve into law.' These moves follow an important inflection point — a shift in the US federal administration's stance toward crypto. According to Dori, the US Treasury has already taken the lead in establishing a strategic reserve, potentially including a broader crypto basket. 'The reasoning for doing so is manifold,' he said. 'Bitcoin is seen as a hedge against inflation, against dollar devaluation, and there's hope for future price increases that might help mitigate the worsening debt situation.' There's also a reputation and innovation component. At the state level, the desire to appear "future ready" and open to technological progress is an important motivator. The financialisation of bitcoin Another development is the early stage of bitcoin's use in consumer and institutional lending. Could you use your bitcoin to get a mortgage? 'Not yet on an institutional-grade level,' Dori noted, 'but we are moving fast.' He described a growing momentum behind the scenes, driven by improvements in regulatory and legal clarity, and advances in accounting standards. These changes are enabling more practical applications of bitcoin as a financial asset, including using it as collateral. 'We are back into that 'gradually, then suddenly' moment,' he said. Why this time might be different Bitcoin has experienced cycles of hype, crashes, and scepticism in the past. But today, a shifting macroeconomic landscape, marked by rising national debt, persistent inflation concerns, and waning trust in fiat currencies, is prompting both private and public institutions to explore alternative stores of value. 'The ambition is to position the state, or company, as future ready, open to innovation, and embracing bitcoin as a new technology,' said Dori. The most crucial aspect in this evolving story may be bitcoin's immutable supply cap. With only 21 million coins ever to exist, and a significant portion already lost or tightly held, any influx of demand from institutional players could ignite not just price increases, but structural shifts in how bitcoin is perceived and used in global finance. 'The significant size of the Mag 7's balance sheets… even a small allocation would already probably drive markets quite significantly,' Dori reiterated. Read more: Why pension funds are buying bitcoin What is a spot bitcoin ETF and why has it sparked a crypto rally? How AI could change the internetError in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bitcoin's Double Top Warrants Caution, But a Full-Blown Price Crash Seems Unlikely: Sygnum Bank
Bitcoin's BTC double top prospects above $100,000 warrant caution, but a full-blown 2022-style crash looks unlikely unless an unexpected black swan hits, according to digital asset banking group Sygnum's Head of Investment Research Katalin Tischhauser. "The crypto market is strongly sentiment-driven as fundamental valuations are challenging; therefore, technical analysis signals such as the double top warrant caution. That said, a full-blown crash needs a catalyst like the Terra collapse of 2022 or the FTX blowup. Barring a similar black swan, we could see a prolonged bull cycle, based on the current political and regulatory support and sticky institutional capital flowing in," Tischhauser told CoinDesk in an interview. Bitcoin has spent 50 days mainly trading back and forth between $110,000 and $100,000, signaling an exhaustion of the uptrend near the highs reached in January this year. That has prompted several observers, including veteran technical analyst Peter Brandt, to consider the possibility of the BTC trend flipping bearish with a double-top pattern. The double top comprises two consecutive peaks at approximately the same price – near $110K in BTC's case – with a trendline drawn through the low point between these peaks. The low point in BTC's case is the early April slide to $75,000. Analysts are concerned that a potential double top breakdown, involving a downturn from $110,000 and a drop below $75,000, could lead to a crash to around $27,000. Yes, you read that right. Such a crash would mean a 75% slide from the peaks. Technical patterns, such as the double top, often become self-fulfilling prophecies – once traders spot the pattern, their collective action reinforces the expected outcome. So, it's natural for prospects of double top above $100,000 to cause some caution and price drop. However, technicals alone seldom cause a price crash of 75%. For instance, BTC's crash from $70,000 to $16,000 over the 12 months to November 2022 happened as the Fed's rate hike cycle exposed asset classes like crypto where excess speculation had built up, setting the stage for the demise of the Terra blockchain and the FTX exchange. Both events caused massive wealth destruction. The latest rally, however, is driven mainly by institutional flows rather than the story or pretence that DeFi is better than traditional finance or Ethereum is the new world computer, as Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal noted last year. Since their debut on the Nasdaq in January 2024, the 11 spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have registered net inflows of over $48 billion, per data tracked by Farside Investors. Meanwhile, BTC's adoption as a corporate Treasury asset has picked up the pace, adding to the bull momentum. As of the time of writing, 141 public companies held 841,693 BTC, according to The flows-driven nature of the latest bull run makes it more resilient than the previous bull markets, according to Tischhauser. "Institutions implement rigorous due diligence and risk assessment before they add a new asset class like bitcoin to the model portfolio. But when they do, the eventual allocation is for the long term. This trend of sticky institutional allocation is just beginning, and the resulting demand will continue to provide price support for some time to come," Tischhauser told CoinDesk. Tischhauser explained that these investment vehicles are sucking out liquidity, skewing the demand-supply dynamics in favour of a continued uptrend. "These investment vehicles are sucking liquidity out of the market, which means, every time a new big-ticket investor hits the market with bids, this is addressing less and less supply, and the bullish impact on prices becomes more pronounced," Tischhauser noted. The bearish double-top crash scenario appears plausible to many observers, as we are in the post-halving year, which has historically marked bull market tops, paving the way for year-long bear markets. Halving is a programmed code in Bitcoin's blockchain that reduces the pace of BTC supply expansion by 50% every four years. The last halving occurred in April 2024 and reduced the per-block BTC reward to 3.125 BTC from 6.25 BTC. However, the halving cycle may not unfold as expected, as sticky institutional adoption has a greater bearing on price than miners. Moreover, BTC sold by miners, who regulatory offload coins earned to fund operational costs, now accounts for a tiny percentage of the average daily trading volume. "The change in market leadership means the four-year halving cycle may not play out religiously as it did before. Earlier, most BTC holders were miners, and the BTC issued per year was a huge percentage of the outstanding bitcoin supply. So, selling pressure from miners mattered greatly to the market price. Now, the BTC mined is 0.05-0.1% of the average BTC daily trading volume and halving this supply has no impact on the supply/demand balance in the market. So the halving cycle may be dead," Tischhauser said.
Business Times
27-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Sygnum is sole new unicorn from South-east Asia in H1 2025: report
[SINGAPORE] Digital asset group Sygnum has emerged as the sole new unicorn from South-east Asia in the first half of 2025, data platform Tracxn said in a report released on Thursday (Jun 26). The Singapore-based firm attained unicorn status in January 2025, after three rounds of funding and a total of eight investors before its unicorn round. Tech funding in South-east Asia reached US$2 billion in H1 2025, boosted by late-stage funding deals. This was 7 per cent higher than US$1.8 billion in the year-ago period, but 24 per cent less than US$2.6 billion in H2 2024. 'These figures reflect both a short-term slowdown and a longer-term recovery trend in the regional market,' noted the report. H1 2025 was marked by more late-stage funding deals and a rise in mega-round activity, contrasting with a general slowdown in early and seed-stage investments, the report added. Seed-stage investments fell 68 per cent to US$87 million from US$270 million in H1 2024. Likewise, early-stage funding also declined 53 per cent to US$464 million from US$991 million. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up On the other hand, late-stage funding jumped 149 per cent to US$1.4 billion from US$562 million. There were five rounds of funding worth more than US$100 million in H1 2025, compared to just two rounds in H1 2024. Tech firms in Singapore accounted for 92 per cent of all funding seen across South-east Asia in H1 2025. Taguig, a city in the Philippines, trailed far behind in second. The report noted that the 'significant role' of Singapore as a funding hub, combined with strong activity across acquisitions and initial public offerings (IPOs), underscores the region's resilience and evolving role in the global technology landscape. The study pointed out three industries as the top-performing sectors. Enterprise infrastructure was the highest, attracting US$859 million in funding, a huge jump from just US$22.1 million raised in H1 2024. This was followed by fintech, with US$775 million raised – a 26 per cent decrease compared to the year-ago period. The enterprise applications sector rounded out the top three, raising US$545 million in H1 2025, about a third higher compared to US$409 million in H1 2024. 'The dominance of enterprise infrastructure, fintech and enterprise applications highlights growing investor focus on scalable and impact-driven sectors,' the report noted.
Business Times
27-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
S-E Asia tech funding hits US$2 billion in H1 2025, yields unicorn in Sygnum: Tracxn
[SINGAPORE] Digital asset group Sygnum has emerged as the sole new unicorn from South-east Asia in the first half of 2025, data platform Tracxn said in a report released on Thursday (Jun 26). The Singapore-based firm attained unicorn status in January 2025, after three rounds of funding and a total of eight investors before their unicorn round. Tech funding in South-east Asia reached US$2 billion in the first half of 2025, boosted by late-stage funding deals. This was 7 per cent higher than US$1.8 billion in the year-ago period, but 24 per cent less than US$2.6 billion in H2 2024. 'These figures reflect both a short-term slowdown and a longer-term recovery trend in the regional market,' noted the report. The first half of 2025 was marked by more late-stage funding deals and a rise in mega-round activity, contrasting with a general slowdown in early and seed-stage investments, the report added. Seed-stage investments fell 68 per cent to US$87 million from US$270 million in H1 2024. Likewise, early-stage funding also declined 53 per cent to US$464 million from US$991 million. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up On the other hand, late-stage funding jumped 149 per cent to US$1.4 billion from US$562 million. There were five rounds of funding worth more than US$100 million in H1 2025, compared to just two rounds in the first half of 2024. Tech firms in Singapore accounted for 92 per cent of all funding seen across South-east Asia in the first half of 2025. Taguig, a city in the Philippines, trailed far behind in second. The report noted the 'significant role' of Singapore as a funding hub, combined with strong activity across acquisitions and IPOs, underscores the region's resilience and evolving role in the global technology landscape. The report pointed out three industries as the top-performing sectors. Enterprise infrastructure was the highest, attracting US$859 million in funding, a huge jump from just US$22.1 million raised in the first half of 2024. This was followed by fintech, with US$775 million raised – a 26 per cent decrease compared to the year-ago period. The enterprise applications sector rounded out the top three, raising US$545 million in the first half of 2025, about a third higher compared to US$409 million in H1 2024. 'The dominance of enterprise infrastructure, fintech and enterprise applications highlights growing investor focus on scalable and impact-driven sectors,' the report noted.
