Brevan Howard to start investing in crypto: report

Brevan Howard Asset Management, the British hedge fund, is set to begin investing in digital assets, according to a report by Bloomberg.

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the company would invest up to 1.5% of a $5.6 billion fund in digital assets. They added that the investment, which is described as an “initial allocation”, will be steered by Johnny Steindorff and Tucker Waterman, co-founders of Distributed Global, a crypto investment firm.

Brevan Howard did not respond to a request for comment from The Block by the time of publication. 

Founded in 2002, Brevan Howard was once one of the world’s largest macro hedge funds — with some $40 billion in assets under management in 2013. The company managed roughly $10 billion as of September 2020.

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Alan Howard, the British billionaire who co-founded the company, has invested heavily in the cryptocurrency sector over the past few years.

In March, The Block revealed that Howard had taken a significant stake in CoinShares, Europe’s largest crypto asset manager. At the time, the value of his investment was worth roughly $61.5 million.

Howard also owns Elwood Asset Management, an investment firm focused on crypto and blockchain that was set up in 2018, in addition to having invested in several venture capital deals for startups in the crypto space.

He has also been linked with the hedge fund One River Asset Management, which Bloomberg reported had holdings of bitcoin and ether worth around $1 billion as of early 2021.

About Author

Ryan Weeks is deals editor at the The Block, focused on fundraising, M&A and institutional trends in the crypto space, among other things. He is particularly interested in investigative work — so please send tips! Ryan previously worked at Financial News, Dow Jones as a fintech correspondent in London. Prior to that, he wrote for several different publications, including Sifted, AltFi and Wired. Beyond journalism, Ryan is a keen reader and writer. He enjoys all things active, especially running, rugby, climbing and tennis.