Our investment in SheeldMarket: delivering institutional access to the digital assets market
Few technology trends have captured public attention and ignited debate like the growth of the digital assets market. Powered by engaged online communities and the presence of influential figures in popular culture, retail investors were the first to buy into blockchain-shaped promises surrounding the future of finance.
But amidst all of the noise, a quieter (but potentially no less transformative) story has unfolded over the past year. Provoked by the resilience of bitcoin and its contemporaries, institutional investors are embracing digital assets like never before. Over the course of 2020 alone, institutional trading volume increased from $18 billion to $57 billion. The Bank of America described the crypto market as ‘too big to ignore’ when it officially identified cryptocurrency as an asset class this year, while JP Morgan cited ‘a critical mass of institutional engagement’ when it did the same.
The cryptocurrency trading market is set to mature further as it becomes the next frontier for institutional investors hungry for returns. But that change cannot (and will not) happen overnight. There are a clutch of regulatory and infrastructure issues that need to be ironed out before the market is ready to fully support the mass of institutional investors so crucial to the vitality of the public markets.
Institutional investors remain wary of involvement in cryptocurrency markets primarily because existing processes are unregulated, inefficient, and opaque in comparison to their existing trading mechanisms. That’s why today we’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Oliver, Jacques, Arnaud, and Simon and the rest of the team at SheeldMarket. SheeldMarket is the only institutional-focused digital asset trading platform regulated in the EU that simplifies and secures the institutional cryptocurrency trading experience.
SheeldMarket was conceived in Paris in 2019 by its four French founders: Oliver Yates, Jacques Lolieux, Arnaud Carrere, and Simon Douyer. True to its product, the team blends cutting edge technical expertise with years of experience on the trading floors of the world’s most respected banks. Oliver, Arnaud, and Simon have all cut their teeth as blockchain and crypto mining engineers, while Jacques is a trading veteran, having worked as an exec at Credit Suisse.
SheeldMarket’s distinctive offer is based on its smart order routing algorithm, which leads the industry in allowing institutional investors to execute very large digital asset trades in a flexible manner. Dozens of institutional investors are already trusting SheeldMarket to optimise their investments, including digital asset managers Wave Financial that uses the platform to execute trades across multiple global crypto exchanges.
Simply put: cryptocurrency is growing up. But true progress rarely happens by accident. The digital asset market can only mature if it is provided with the infrastructure it needs to scale. We’re thrilled to accompany Oliver, Jacques, Arnaud, and Simon as SheeldMarket continues its mission to do just that.
Want to hear more about what Atomico is up to? Follow us on Twitter or join our newsletter.
