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  • Public Info posted an update 1 year, 3 months ago

    Komainu, a regulated digital asset services provider and custodian, recently secured $75 million in strategic investment from Blockstream Capital Partners in January 2025. This funding, notably structured as a Bitcoin transaction, is intended to fuel Komainu’s international growth plans and integrate Blockstream’s advanced technologies, particularly for collateral management and tokenization.
    Komainu, a joint venture established in 2018 by Japanese bank Nomura, crypto security experts Ledger, and digital asset investment manager CoinShares, aims to become a dominant digital asset service provider outside of the US. The company is strategically focusing on global expansion, with immediate targets including Singapore and Japan, followed by the US and Switzerland. As part of its growth strategy, Komainu is also exploring acquisitions to gain footholds in new regions or expand its business lines, as evidenced by its agreement to acquire Singapore-based crypto custodian Propine Holdings.
    A key aspect of this funding is the integration of Blockstream’s technologies. This includes leveraging Blockstream’s Liquid Network to significantly reduce the time for Komainu’s off-exchange margining and settlement solution, Komainu Connect, from hours to minutes. Additionally, Blockstream’s AMP technology will enable Komainu to automate regulated asset support for tokenization and develop trustless trading solutions. Komainu will also integrate Blockstream’s enterprise Hardware Security Module (HSM) wallet to broaden its suite of bank-grade digital asset services for institutional clients.
    This move by Komainu aligns with broader industry trends, as the FIA (Futures Industry Association), the industry body for cleared derivatives, has stated that tokenization has the potential to accelerate the movement of collateral. The FIA’s recent white paper, “Accelerating the velocity of collateral,” highlights four main benefits of tokenization: increasing asset transfer speed from days to minutes, allowing for extended trading hours (including 24/7), reducing errors, and enabling automation through smart contracts. Walt Lukken, president and CEO of FIA, emphasized that tokenization could make significant improvements in collateral management and settlement, enabling collateral movement and margin requirements even when traditional banking systems are closed.

    Video courtesy of Eurex

    Video courtesy of Eurex