Apollo holds crypto for clients as it expands in digital assets

Oct 31 (Reuters) – Apollo World Administration Inc (APO.N) has begun holding cryptocurrency on behalf of its shoppers by a partnership with digital asset platform Anchorage Digital, in a serious push by one of many world’s largest asset managers to convey crypto to institutional buyers.

The transfer comes regardless of a rocky 12 months for the crypto market, with bitcoin, the world’s largest digital asset, down greater than 50% for the reason that begin of 2022, as buyers have appeared jittery about decades-high inflation throughout the globe.

“It is the validation of this incessant drumbeat that [crypto] is right here to remain,” mentioned Diogo Mónica, president of Anchorage Digital, a crypto agency that holds a nationwide belief financial institution constitution from the Workplace of the Comptroller of the Forex. “This can be a very long-term horizon course of and expertise and that for the big establishments, it would not actually matter that there’s volatility quick time period.”

Apollo, which declined to reveal what kinds of crypto property it holds, mentioned its relationship with Anchorage dates again to the center of final 12 months, when the agency first started exploring how finest to safeguard its shoppers’ crypto property. Apollo later participated in Anchorage’s Sequence D funding spherical, which was finalized in December 2021.

“As we discover artistic methods to use blockchain expertise throughout Apollo’s enterprise, we look ahead to collaborating with Anchorage for the safekeeping of shopper property,” mentioned Adam Eling, chief working officer of Apollo’s digital property crew.

Mónica mentioned Anchorage can also be engaged with discussions about methods to probably additional develop its relationship with Apollo sooner or later.

In April, Apollo employed former JPMorgan Chase govt Christine Moy, who will lead digital asset technique throughout the enterprise, and play a key function in its funding selections in crypto, blockchain and Web3, a decentralized model of the web.

Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Enhancing by Lananh Nguyen and Diane Craft

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