The Crypto Valley is expanding its influence throughout Europe. Luxembourg-based digital asset exchange Blocktrade has been acquired by well-known investors from the Swiss ecosystem.
Zug-based private equity firm Web3 Investco AG, a Crypto Valley startup focused on investments in targeted segments of the blockchain technology, payment services and software industries, has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to buy 100 percent of the voting shares of Blocktrade SA, a company limited by shares with its registered office in Luxembourg. With this transaction, the seller of Blocktrade – Elite Club Foundation – is continuing to implement its strategic goals and is thus leaving the fintech sector completely.
A Europe-based crypto exchange
Blocktrade is a digital asset marketplace that makes investing in cryptocurrencies easy. Headquartered in Luxembourg, with Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registrations in Estonia and in Italy, the company operates and develops the go-to crypto investment platform for all things around gamification, social gaming and networking, enabling, simplifying and diversifying the entry into the crypto world for people with all levels of knowledge from beginners to seasoned crypto professionals. The firm is launching its new interface, Blocktrade 2.0, which will offer users zero trading fees on most tokens, plus additional assets, new payment options and live chat support.
"Blocktrade will highly benefit from the vast industry knowledge and extensive network of its new shareholder and the people behind it and I am really looking forward to shaping the way of Blocktrade together with the new shareholders." - Christian Niedermüller, CEO of Blocktrade and board member of its new shareholder Web3 Investco AG
After having worked for Blocktrade over the past months, Christian Niedermüller helped building out the team and initiated a strategy change, of which the first integration step will be revealed soon. Going forward, the partnership between Web3 Investco AG and Blocktrade will help the management team at Blocktrade to focus on continuing to invest into the growth of the exchange platform through further development of industry-leading products, improving payment methods and pursuing crucial features like staking and other new asset classes such as tokenized shares and connected mini-games.
Well established investor base
Behind the new shareholders of Blocktrade are none other than Web 3.0 industry professionals Ralf Glabischnig, Hubertus Thonhauser, Bernhard Koch and the current CEO of Blocktrade SA, Christian Niedermüller.
- Ralf Glabischnig is a serial entrepreneur and investor, who has been heavily involved in building the so-called Crypto Valley supported by the ventures of the Inacta Group. He is actively building a worldwide blockchain ecosystem, starting in Switzerland and expanding to the Middle East, the Crypto Oasis.
- Hubertus Thonhauser is a seasoned venture capital investor with sector focus on fintech, Web3 and the gaming industry. He was co-founder of Babil Games, the leading mobile games provider in the MENA region, acquired by Stillfront Group in 2016. Hubertus has previously served as CEO of Casinos Austria International in Switzerland and was Chairman of the Tezos Foundation. Today he is Partner in Ghaf Capital, a leading Web3 focused venture capital firm in Dubai.
- Bernhard Koch has over 20-years of experience in IT and financial services and worked across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Hong Kong. Since 2015, Koch has invested in and started several products, agencies and blockchain projects. Besides many others, he is the CEO and founder of Cryptix Group, a Web3 venture builder located in the Crypto Valley in Switzerland.
- Christian Niedermüller was appointed CEO of Blocktrade in February of 2022. Having held senior positions at various international financial institutions and private equity firms, including Cerberus, HCOB and other European banks, Christian is as well a seasoned fintech investor and manager and has been in the digital asset industry already for more than seven years. He is a regular pre-seed/seed investor in the crypto industry with his co-founded Venture Capital firm SMAPE Capital, he is as well a co-founder of DAIC Capital and also co-founded the DAAA (Digital Asset Association Austria), where he is still a board member.
