Crypto's latest M&A deal features a unique element: a token 'merger'

European crypto exchange LGO and publicly traded brokerage Voyager are merging.

The deal is the latest M&A deal in the digital asset market following tie-ups between Binance and CoinMarketCap as well as FTX and Blockfolio. A spokesman for LGO did not comment on the specific financial details of the merger, noting that LGO's assets will be "operated under the Voyager brand."

The deal will enable Voyager to expand into Europe, according to a statement from CEO Steve Ehrlich, a former executive at E*Trade. 

As part of the merger, LGO will sunset its institutional exchange business and transfer the remainder of its assets — namely its clients and relationships — to Voyager. Interestingly, the deal is unique because the firm's respective tokens will, in a sense, merge as well. The firms did not rely on investment bankers to facilitate the transaction.

"As part of the merger, the next version of the Voyager token will be minted which will allow holders of the VGX and LGO token holders to swap into the new token," according to the companies. "The holder ownership percentages will commensurate with the existing fully diluted market caps of the tokens. The new token will include decentralized finance features such as community governance."

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"We are also excited about the opportunity to create an improved token to bring greater utility to our loyal community base," Ehrlich said of the token. 

The new token can be leveraged by holders to stake and earn as much as 7% interest as well as cash-back rewards on Voyager's platform. 

As for LGO's leadership, CEO Hugo Renaudin and chairman Frederic Montagnon will stay on in advisory roles.

This isn't Voyager's first M&A deal. The firm acquired Circle's retail app, Circle Invest, in February. 

In the background, experts expect the pace of crypto M&A to continue to pick up.

“We expect crypto M&A activity to remain strong for the coming months particularly with some of the larger or more profitable players acquiring firms that offer ancillary services to their current offerings," commented Henri Arslanian, PwC's global crypto leader. 

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Frank Chaparro is Host of The Scoop podcast and Director of Special Projects. He also writes a biweekly newsletter. Chaparro started his career at Business Insider, where he specialized in the intersection of digital assets and Wall Street, market structure, and financial technology. Soon after joining Business Insider out of Fordham University, Chaparro was interviewing top finance and tech executives, including billionaire Mark Cuban, “Flash Boys” star Brad Katsuyama, Cboe Global Markets CEO Ed Tilly, and New York Stock Exchange President Tom Farley. In 2018, he become a sought after reporter in the crypto world, interviewing luminaries such as Tyler Winklevoss, the cofounder of Gemini, Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Circle, and Fundstrat head Tom Lee. For inquiries or tips, email [email protected].