Standard Chartered is the latest bank to venture into a digital assets fund, raising $250 Million.
According to a Bloomberg report, the bank’s capital arm SC Ventures will raise the money for the launch of the fund in 2026.
It will target global investment opportunities in digital assets within the financial services sector.
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However, the bank has not yet disclosed which specific digital assets the fund will prioritize.
Gautam Jain, an operating partner at SC Ventures says the fund will be primarily backed by investors from the Middle East.
Standard Chartered’s decision is similar to other large corporations creating long-term strategies to accumulate digital assets like Bitcoin.
Additional Investment Plans
Additionally, SC Ventures is reportedly planning a separate $100 million investment fund focused on opportunities in Africa.
It is also exploring the creation of its first venture debt fund.
But Jain says whether these initiatives will include a focus on cryptocurrencies or financial technology is yet to be seen.
Challenges in Digital Asset Treasuries
While this news breaks, Standard Chartered has also raised concerns about the declining market net asset value (mNAV) of digital asset treasury firms.
The mNAV measures a company’s enterprise value relative to its cryptocurrency holdings.
Standard Chartered noted that many high-profile treasury firms have fallen below the critical mNAV threshold of one.
This makes it harder for them to issue new shares and accumulate digital assets.
The bank raised brows that this trend could lead to market consolidation.
Meaning the situation may favor larger firms with access to low-cost debt and staking yield opportunities, such as Strategy and Bitmine.
