Exclusive: Veteran Blockchain VC Backer Tiger Global Moves Into Crypto Trading

Tiger is the latest top-tier investment manager delving into crypto markets, drawn to the possibility of greater efficiency than legacy asset classes

article-image

Source: Blockworks

share
  • Tiger has traded decentralized finance protocols, including Filecoin
  • The firm, founded in 2001, invests in both public and private companies

Tiger Global, long known for making winning bets on private blockchain startups, has for the first time started to actively trade cryptocurrencies, according to two people familiar with the matter.

One of the world’s largest and oldest hedge fund firms, Tiger joins a growing number of top asset managers on the hunt for alpha in crypto’s inefficient markets. The firm started trading crypto in recent months, the sources said.

Sources were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive business dealings. A representative for Tiger, which has $90 billion of assets under management across its hedge funds and venture capital vehicles, declined to comment.

Given the success of Tiger’s private crypto plays, trading liquid tokens could be a big area of growth for the New York-based firm down the line. Indications are that Tiger has trodden lightly in the space as its institutional limited partners — including some of the largest pension funds and endowments — are only slowly warming up to digital assets as a core position in their portfolios.

“Tiger doesn’t rush into things, but I’m honestly surprised they didn’t make the move earlier,” one source said. “They definitely have the connections to understand the space from their private business. It’s just a matter of bringing on the right people for trading.”

It is not clear whether Tiger is dabbling in digital assets via its flagship fund or whether the firm has considered setting up vehicles to trade crypto outright. The latter stance would bring Tiger in line with peers including Brevan Howard, which Blockworks previously reported is poised to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for its first crypto fund.

The flagship fund of Tiger, run by founder Chase Coleman, focuses on making fundamental, long and short wagers on stocks.

In addition to exploring well-known cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ether, Tiger has invested in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols, including Filecoin, as the firm delves into the investment prospects of Web3, sources said.

Filecoin — which has a market capitalization of just $3 billion, according to Coingecko — issues tokens to users who provide storage space for the network. Its aim is to assemble an array of data, including Creative Commons assets and historical records, that is indexable and searchable via blockchain technology.

Tiger has backed dozens of crypto startups, including Blockdaemon, BlockFi, FTX, Livepeer, Moonpay and TRM Labs.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template.png

Research

The march toward an interoperable and onchain-by-default internet depends on reliable messaging and value transfer across heterogeneous domains. Crosschain protocols now process >$1.3T in combined annual transfer volume and secure tens of millions of user interactions, yet no single design dominates.

article-image

The goal, per Santiago Santos, is to make crypto a relatable piece of tech for people who may not even understand it

article-image

Stripe stablecoin unit aims to operate under a federal charter enabling regulated stablecoin issuance and custody services

by Blockworks /
article-image

Will TradFi make crypto better or create more problems than it solves?

article-image

Subtle decisions by risk curators saved Aave from significant turmoil

article-image

The new Rootstock Institutional unit aims to connect professional investors to Bitcoin-native yield and liquidity strategies anchored in BTC’s security layer

by Blockworks /
article-image

DOJ files record civil forfeiture against more than 127,000 BTC linked to scam activity

by Blockworks /