CoinShares to acquire Bastion in push for active crypto funds

CoinShares International Limited announced Wednesday that it will acquire Bastion Asset Management, a London-based alternative investment manager focused on digital assets.

The transaction, subject to approval by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, will integrate Bastion’s strategies, team, and expertise into CoinShares’ broader asset management platform. 

CoinShares, headquartered in Jersey with roughly $10 billion in assets under management, said the move enhances its actively managed offerings as it continues to position itself as a comprehensive provider of digital asset investment solutions.

The acquisition aligns with CoinShares’ strategy of combining its established passive products, such as exchange-traded products (ETPs), with more sophisticated actively managed strategies aimed at institutional investors. Bastion brings a market-neutral, quantitative alpha approach that has been deployed over the past three years across a growing client base.

Following the acquisition, Bastion co-founders Philip Scott and Fred Desobry will join CoinShares.

CoinShares’ announcement highlighted that the deal supports its US growth strategy. With the firm already holding registered Investment Advisor status under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the integration of Bastion’s expertise will allow the creation of institutional-grade actively managed funds tailored to US investors.

This is a developing story.

---

This article was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by editor Jeffrey Albus before publication.

---

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

• The Breakdown: Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily.
• 0xResearch: Alpha in your inbox. Think like an analyst.
• Empire: Crypto news and analysis to start your day.
• Forward Guidance: The intersection of crypto, macro and policy.
• The Drop: Apps, games, memes and more.
• Lightspeed: All things Solana.
• Supply Shock: Bitcoin, bitcoin, bitcoin.