Perhaps the biggest news of the third week of February that Pantera Capital has already raised $125 million for its third cryptocurrency fund, a large figure for the so-called crypto winter. Slide decks obtained by CoinDesk show that the San Francisco-based hedge fund has $125 million committed to the fund, but only $25 million was secured since last August, due to the bear market. Pantera plans to invest its third fund in later stage startup funding rounds in order to gain more exposure to more mature firms. Pantera believes its third fund will invest in both tokens and equity, emphasizing blockchain startup equity.
Here is the rest of the week in review:
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is trying to reach out to victims of the BitConnect (BCC) scam from early 2018. The FBI posted on its website a notice that calls on individuals who invested in BCC to answer and submit a questionnaire. The FBI said victims' responses will be useful to law enforcement investigations of the ongoing BitConnect case. In March, BCC investors and promoter Treveon James said the FBI was investigating the case and had questioned him. In October, a consolidated class action lawsuit against BitConnect owners and promoters was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Banco BTG Pactual announced it will raise up to $15 million from a security token offering (STO) called RBZ. The Brazilian bank said its STO token will be backed by distressed Brazilian real estate properties. STO investors will gain exposure to Brazil's real estate market and receive regular profits contingent on performance. Banco BTG also offered international investors a chance to buy the RBZ token in a low-cost, tax-efficient structure. The bank will partner with Gemini and its stablecoin to conduct the STO sale. Banco BTG believes the STO will democratize access to hard-to-reach local asset classes.
Crypto prices surged this week, ending at over $128 billion. Bitcoin briefly topped $4,000, and most of the majors rebounded strongly, led by EOS, Ethereum (ETH), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). In the top 100, the biggest losers are Vertcoin (VTC), down 32%, HYCON (HYC), down 24%, and Nasdacoin (NSD), down 23%. The biggest gainers are GlobalBoost-Y (BSTY), up a whopping 301%, Bitcoiin (B2G), up 58%, and Achain (ACT), up 46%. Next week traders will watch whether BTC and ETH can convincingly stay above the $4,000 and $150 resistance levels.
The author owns a small amount of BTC.