Ripple takes the excessive highway, Jan. 20–26

Blockchain funds firm Ripple (XRP) made it abundantly clear this week that it isn’t letting its feud with the US Securities and Change Fee (SEC) maintain again its enterprise plans. On Wednesday, the corporate introduced it had repurchased all Sequence C shares that it issued to personal buyers again in December 2019 — regardless that a court docket ruling in 2021 stated it did not must.

This week’s Crypto Biz explores Ripple’s share repurchase and offers an summary of the largest funding tales of the week. We additionally weigh a brand new exchange-traded fund (ETF) proposal by Valkyrie that seeks to offer publicity to the Bitcoin (BTC) mining enviornment. For a extra fulsome dialogue of this week’s enterprise information, register for the Crypto Biz e-newsletter under. 

Ripple unveils $200M share repurchase

Greater than two years after elevating $200 million in a Sequence C funding spherical, Ripple introduced this week that it had repurchased all the excellent shares that have been issued within the deal. Ripple stated the share repurchase mirrored the corporate’s “extraordinarily sturdy place available in the market” and “sturdy steadiness sheet.” The buyback additionally netted the corporate a whopping $15 billion valuation — all whereas it continued to struggle a $1.38 billion lawsuit filed by the SEC. As Cointelegraph beforehand reported, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse expects the lawsuit to be resolved someday in 2022.

RippleNet is far more than cross-border funds – it’s bringing crypto-native companies equivalent to liquidity to enterprises. In the present day, the community has a quantity run price >$10B. Enormous props to the staff for constantly upping their recreation & leaning into new capabilities yearly. 3/4

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) January 26, 2022

Valkyrie recordsdata software for brand spanking new Bitcoin mining ETF

Within the absence of a full-fledged Bitcoin spot ETF, buyers could also be in search of other ways to achieve publicity to the flagship digital asset. Crypto asset supervisor Valkyrie just lately filed a Bitcoin Miners ETF with the SEC in a bid to offer diversified publicity to corporations concerned in Bitcoin mining. Valkyrie’s proposed fund would make investments no less than 80% of its web property in corporations that generate no less than 50% of their income or income from BTC mining. 

Associated: SEC rejects software for Constancy’s Smart Origin Bitcoin Belief spot ETF

FTX US valued at $8B following main funding spherical

It would not be a Crypto Biz recap with out documenting one more main funding announcement from the world of blockchain. Crypto alternate operator FTX US introduced this week that it had closed a $400 million funding spherical, bringing its whole valuation to $8 billion. The funding spherical shouldn’t be not like the $420 million raised by FTX’s world alternate in October 2021. FTX US clearly has large growth plans in the US, a rustic that dominates Bitcoin buying and selling volumes, in accordance with Arcane Analysis.

FTX US is comfortable to announce we have accomplished our Sequence A elevate!

Thanks to our companions, lots of whom have invested in FTX from the beginning; to @ramnikarora for managing the spherical; and to @SBF_FTX for being the rationale we’re all right here. https://t.co/5rza97DVUY

— Brett Harrison (@Brett_FTXUS) January 26, 2022

Associated: Crypto infrastructure agency Fireblocks valued at $8B following $550M elevate

BFF II to take a position $75M in P2E and Web3 tasks

Talking of main funding information, Blockchain Founders Fund has launched a brand new enterprise portfolio that seeks to spend money on tasks on the intersection of crypto, Web3 and the metaverse. The Blockchain Founders Fund II, also referred to as BFF II, raised $75 million from numerous buyers, together with The Sandbox chief working officer Sebastien Borget. The enterprise fund has already invested in 11 tasks that embrace a layer-2 derivatives alternate, play-to-earn video games and even a DeFi protocol. In different phrases, good cash remains to be investing within the main developments you probably first heard about in 2021.