The digital asset-only asset manager IDEG Asset Management Ltd. announced a new multi-strategy thematic product shelf, T-I-M-E-S, and added Ethereum (ETH) Enhanced Portfolio (EEP) to its offering.
The T-I-M-E-S product series have a variety of active strategies including Trust products; Interest earning products; Mining backed products; Earnings products with exposure to DeFi strategies; and Structured solutions for the investor.
Coinbase Prime, which was an early investor in the asset manager’s VC arm and an institutional client of Asia Bitcoin Trust and Atlas Mining Trust in 2019, will be the new fund’s prime broker and custodian.
The EEP will track the performance of Ethereum and combine an arbitrage strategy to enhance investor returns while reducing volatility. It aims to outperform ETH.
It will manage qualifying investors’ portfolios (except for the U.S.) of digital assets and is third-party custodied. A minimum investment amount of $100,000 is required.
Emma Hu, Product Partner of IDEG said, “The Ethereum Enhanced Portfolio is our first of such products, providing qualifying investors an opportunity to capitalize on Ethereum, the most renowned smart-contract platform while enhancing risk-adjusted returns compared to holding Ethereum.”
Kayvon Pirestani, Head of Coinbase Institutional Sales, APAC said, “It’s time for institutional investors to include digital assets in their asset allocation strategies. Traditional large investors need to understand that there are trusted and professional managers that can take away much of the complexity and anxiety that comes from self-trading through volatile markets. “
IDEG is also planning to launch new funds that actively manage multi-coin, DeFi yield farming, and GameFi/Metaverse P2E strategies under the T-I-M-E-S product series.
Hu added, “Institutional investors find it difficult to include DeFi “on-chain” strategies into their asset allocation despite the potential positive returns beyond buy and hold strategies.”
After Bitcoin, asset managers are strategizing to expose their institutional clients to Ethereum. Recently, investment banking behemoth Goldman Sachs announced that it is planning to offer over-the-counter (OTC) Ether trading options.