SBI, Sygnum and Azimut Found New $75M Fund

Singapore-based Variable Capital Company will invest in Pre-Series A and Series A stage digital asset startups focusing on infrastructure, DeFi and Reg Tech.

article-image

Source: Shutterstock

share

key takeaways

  • Fund to focus on blockchain infrastructure, DeFi and regulatory technology tools in Europe and Southeast Asia
  • SBI estimated up to 10% of global GDP projected will be stored and transacted using DLT infrastructure by 2027

Japan’s largest FinTech conglomerate, SBI Group, joins the world’s first digital asset bank Sygnum and Azimut Group a leading independent asset manager in Europe to launch a venture capital fund of up to $75 million which will invest in start-up companies in the digital asset sector.

The Singapore-incorporated fund, dubbed Variable Capital Company, aims to “accelerate the growth of promising companies in this sector, while providing qualifying investors with unrivalled access to the fast-growing digital asset economy,” according to a Sygnum press release.

The investment strategy will focus on early stage start-ups developing blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) infrastructure, decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions and regulatory technology tools.

This year has seen a tremendous influx of funding into crypto, Sygnum notes, through the first half of 2021 along, over $17 billion of investments have flooded the space including seven of the ten largest blockchain/DLT and cryptocurrency funding rounds of all time.

“DLT and digital assets are at the inflection point of mainstream adoption, and they have the potential to reduce inefficiencies and unlock new capabilities across several sectors, such as financial services and supply chain management,” said Ryosuke Hayashi, CEO and Managing Director of SBI Ven Capital.

Funds are almost routinely raising hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in new technology startups. Earlier this month, Pantera Capital announced a new $600 million blockchain fund. In fact, Blockworks previously reported that crypto venture capital is at an all-time high.

Regulatory technology (or reg tech) is another major theme of the new fund. The trio of companies believes that increased oversight by regulators of the digital asset sector will require new tools for digital asset service providers and their clients.


Are you a UK or EU reader that can’t get enough investor-focused content on digital assets? Join us in London on November 15th and 16th for the Digital Asset Summit (DAS) London. Use code ARTICLE for £75 off your ticket. Buy it now.


Tags

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

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

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.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Research Report Templates (19).png

Research

Suilend has grown into the top money market and liquid staking provider on Sui. STEAMM, Suilend’s Superfluid AMM, presents a compelling avenue for growing market share within Sui’s DEX landscape and revenue generation for the protocol. Suilend’s multi-product suite position it well for owning market share across key verticals. While current metrics across the Sui ecosystem are likely inflated due to Sui Foundation incentive programs, SEND trades at amongst the lowest multiples in the lend/borrow sector, suggesting that a bull case for continued growth in the ecosystem may be mispriced.

article-image

Silk Road founder Ulbricht made a triumphant return to the Bitcoin Conference, 10 years on from sentencing

article-image

A Blockworks Research report looked at who could take up some of the marketshare in the launchpad space

article-image

Business-to-business stablecoin payments are on the rise, per a report from Artemis, Dragonfly and Castle Island

article-image

Crypto continues to do its thing: incentivizing behavior

article-image

Kraken will soon offer Backed ‘xStocks’ as Solana tokens

article-image

In a unanimous decision, the US Court of International Trade has ruled that Trump’s IEEPA tariffs are unlawful