Fidelity doubles down on Hong Kong crypto operator

Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s largest asset managers, has poured more capital into a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency operator — offering yet another bullish indicator for the evolution of digital-asset markets worldwide. 

An exchange filing obtained by Singapore-based Business Times shows that Fidelity acquired a 6.29% stake in BC Technology Group after investing $6.71 million in the company. Business Times indicated that Fidelity had increased its exposure to the company, though didn’t specify the initial investment amount.

The investment was announced shortly after BC Technology Group disclosed that it had reached an agreement to raise HK$697 million ($89.9 million) in a “top up share placement.”

BC Technology Group is the operator of OSL, a popular cryptocurrency exchange that recently obtained a coveted license from Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission, or SFC. A BC Group press release dated Dec. 15, 2020 claims that OSL is the world’s “first SFC-licensed, listed, digital asset wallet-insured, Big-4 audited digital asset trading platform for institutions and professional investors.”

Fidelity has made a number of strategic investments in the cryptocurrency market, including expanding its custody services in Asia through a partnership with Stack Funds, a Singapore-based crypto startup. At the end of 2019, Fidelity’s digital-asset unit established an official entity in the United Kingdom to serve institutional investors in Europe.

Headed by Abigail Johnson, Fidelity is positioning itself as an institutional pioneer for cryptocurrency adoption. Recognizing the potential value of digital assets, Fidelity has been harvesting Bitcoin (BTC) since 2014.

Fidelity’s early investments in Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) appear to be paying off today, as both assets vie for a bigger role in institutional finance and global monetary systems. Just last week, the combined value of all cryptocurrencies broke above $1 trillion for the first time, eventually reaching a high of around $1.2 trillion.