KR1 plc…The #Crypto #Alpha Bet

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Bitcoin, bleeding edge, blockchain, Cosmos, crypto, DeFi, digital gold, Ethereum, fiat money, Galaxy Digital Holdings, George McDonaugh, KR1, KR1 plc, network effects, Owner-Operator, Peter Thiel, Polkadot, proof of stake, venture capital

My main 2020 investment thesis is the assumption this #pandemic does not herald new & permanent societal change. But it will reinforce & accelerate existing trends, with #cryptocurrency/#blockchain innovation, development & adoption poised to benefit hugely. It’s just three years since my first & last crypto post (& Bitcoin‘s only twelve years old!), but its progress since has been astonishing…

We kicked off with a spectacular crypto-bubble in late-2017, with the launch of Bitcoin futures triggering the devastating early-2018 collapse…which fortunately played out in less than a year. Fidelity, Coinbase & Bakkt launched institutional-grade digital custody platforms & even the OCC confirmed US banks can now offer digital custody services. Crypto exchanges like Binance, BitMex, Coinbase, Huobi & Kraken now boast hundreds of millions/billions of dollars in daily crypto volume. Libra was announced by Facebook. More & more hedge funds are getting involved – Mike Novogratz launched Galaxy Digital, with Paul Tudor Jones & even Stan Druckenmiller buying into Bitcoin as a digital asset/inflation hedge – not to mention, family office/college endowments (are pension funds & sovereign wealth funds next?). Square & PayPal now accept crypto & more payment companies will follow. Proof of stake has emerged as a green alternative to crypto-mining. Grayscale‘s listed crypto funds now boast a $14 billion+ aggregate market cap (alas, most of the US fund industry still awaits SEC crypto approval), while Total Value Locked Up in #DecentralizedFinance is also at a $14B+ all-time high (& doubling every month/two since June!). Stablecoins are also emerging as stable-value/high-volume bridges to the fiat world. We’ve even seen listed companies like MicroStrategy & Square buy Bitcoin as a corporate treasury asset. And Bitcoin’s now only 6% off its all-time high…

The volte-face in attitudes has also been impressive, with the crypto sector recognizing that embracing (& promoting change in) existing financial/regulatory regimes offers a slice of an infinitely larger pie. While regulators are also more open too – though US regulators may remain as schizophrenic & over-reaching as ever – with central banks (like the PBoC, Fed & BoE) now floating (& trialing) digital currency proposals, to co-operate/compete with crypto. As for investors, the Bitcoin survival debate’s dead…it’s been anointed digital gold & nobody could disagree it’s not a contender. While the mantle of blockchain innovation passed to Ethereum (& the imminent Ethereum 2.0), plus the smart-contract projects & infrastructure being built atop it (3,750 DApps & counting, mostly on Ethereum). And #DeFi is shaping up as a killer app for blockchain…to join forces with #fintech & eventually #BigTech to challenge the legacy financial services/payments industry. [Maybe even value investors get this…look at bank valuations!?] Its IPO may be on ice, but Ant Group‘s still a prescient reminder (for the West) of how easily bank-customer relationships & economics can be cannibalized by disruptive technology & business models.

Kryptonite Even Superman Could Love…

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blockchain, city discipline, cryptocurrencies, dot-com bubble, Ethereum, flipping, George McDonaugh, ICOs, KR1, Kryptonite, Kryptonite 1 plc, multi-bagger, token sales, venture capital

As some of you suspected, my last post (& related comments) were intended as an essential intro here, so it’s worth revisiting:

Cryptocurrencies & Blockchain – Longs, Shorts, or Trading Sardines…

[And since I ducked providing some kind of primer, let me highlight the best introductory books I’ve read in the past year: ‘Digital Gold’, ‘The Age of Cryptocurrency’, ‘Blockchain Revolution’, ‘The End of Money’…nor would I under-estimate the ‘For Dummies’ books. And this is new: Hash Power. And finally, here’s an interesting news/research resource.]

After highlighting some of the risks & challenges investors face if they’re considering direct investment in cryptocurrencies & blockchain (via mining, buy & hold investment, initial coin offerings, and/or blockchain VC investment), I concluded the safest & most practical approach for the vast majority of investors was inevitably via:

Listed Investment Companies

But while I detailed metrics for 16 core listed sector plays (& highlighted another 23 potential plays), I offered no recommendations. In fact, in terms of such nascent technology/innovation & the listed sector’s $2.6 billion market cap (just 2% of the $144 billion cryptocurrency market…which is another rounding error globally), I question if valuation’s even a relevant filter at this point. Same for management – many of which don’t necessarily match the typical CEO profile investors expect, or boast a prior/public track record.

[Not suggesting you abandon all (valuation) rationale. Or ignore management: Companies/projects will ultimately live or die by their management & they still need to be evaluated in their current role (at the very least). Focus particularly on what they actually do & achieve, not just what they say…]

In reality, the main challenge (& best framework) now for investors is to develop a real view on the entire sector – long, or short – one strong & personal enough to hopefully steer you towards the best investment opportunities, and help you sleep through the inevitable volatility & reversals to come. Thinking about cryptocurrencies & the blockchain separately is a great place to start, as people still confuse/conflate them*. Ultimately, they’re very different beasts…a negative view of one shouldn’t preclude a positive view of the other.

[*Even crypto-warriors have decided (or at least conceded) they’re trading Ethereum…but they’re actually trading Ether!]