Fidelity acquires 5% stake in Hong Kong crypto group

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Fidelity International has invested HK$110 million ($14.2 million) in BC Technology Group, the owner of one of Asia’s largest digital assets trading platform for professional traders. The investment gives Fidelity a 5.6% stake in the Hong Kong-based company. BC Group owns and operates OSL, a crypto exchange that facilitates trading, custody and more.

Fidelity International, which is a spinoff of the Boston-based financial services giant Fidelity Investments acquired 17 million shares of BC Group. In its filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, BC Group revealed that the shares were valued at $0.83 per share. The investment is part of a $36 million share placement the group announced last month. At the time, it stated that the money raised would go towards beefing up its technology and compliance as it seeks to ward off growing competition.

The BC Group operates OSL, a full service trading and infrastructure platform that caters to professional and institutional investors. The company was the first to apply for license under the Hong Kong’s securities regulator’s new digital asset framework. OSL offers over-the-counter services for large clients, crypto custody, customizable software-as-a-service tools that easily integrate digital assets and more.

BC Group CEO Hugh Madden commented, “We’re excited to see that world-class equity investors are increasingly participating in the fast-growing digital asset sector, and we look forward to reaching new milestones with our industry-leading institutional investors.”

OSL has continued to grow as more institutional investors seek regulated exposure to digital assets. In the first half of 2019, the exchange posted $6 million in revenue, a 386% increase from a similar period the year prior. This growth has not only attracted investors, but talent as well. Earlier this month, Matt Long joined the firm as its head of distribution activities. Before joining the exchange, Long was the CEO for Hong Kong at the Danish bank Saxo.

Fidelity was among the first companies in Wall Street to invest in crypto. The firm launched a digital assets division in March last year which has continued to grow, adding 10 blockchain experts later in the year. It has also focused on institutional investors, obtaining a license from the New York Department of Financial Services to offer crypto custody in the state.