Bequant Adds Services to Its Crypto Prime Brokerage Offering

Bequant added separately managed accounts, derivatives trading and instant fund transfers in a bid to compete with rival prime brokers.

AccessTimeIconOct 22, 2020 at 1:09 p.m. UTC
Updated May 9, 2023 at 3:12 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Crypto prime broker Bequant is offering separately managed accounts (SMAs) so its institutional clients can manage investment strategies in one place, the company announced Thursday. 

SMAs as a financial service have been widely used by asset managers who work for institutional investors such as high-net-worth individuals and mutual funds.

  • Why MoonPay and PayPal Partnered to Expand Crypto Adoption in the U.S.
    14:12
    Why MoonPay and PayPal Partnered to Expand Crypto Adoption in the U.S.
  • Friend.Tech's Native Token Tanks After Airdrop
    00:55
    Friend.Tech's Native Token Tanks After Airdrop
  • Coinbase's Blowout First Quarter; Could Hong Kong ETFs See $1B AUM by 2024 End?
    01:56
    Coinbase's Blowout First Quarter; Could Hong Kong ETFs See $1B AUM by 2024 End?
  • BronxCrypto Founder on Major Challenges Faced by Crypto Education
    00:59
    BronxCrypto Founder on Major Challenges Faced by Crypto Education
  • “SMAs provide an independent transparent vehicle for institutional investment,” said Alex Mascioli, Bequant’s head of institutional services. “The infrastructure to provide them was there. Offering them now is basically all about our legal team and being able to formulate the product.”

    SMAs give investors a daily view into their accounts versus the monthly statements typically provided by hedge funds.

    Stepping back, prime brokers are facilitators for financing and trading for deep-pocketed institutional investors.

    While the digital asset space doesn’t currently have a lot of prime broker options, several crypto firms including Coinbase, BitGo and Genesis Trading have announced in recent months their plans to build prime brokerage wings.

    In a bid to keep its savvy clientele happy, Bequant also added cryptocurrency derivatives trading. The move lets fund managers find market-neutral strategies within those new SMAs, said CEO George Zarya. 

    Bequant is connected to 11 sources of liquidity currently including HitBTC, Binance, OKEx, Huobi, Bittrex, Bitifnex and Deribit, with plans to add one more by year’s end.

    Adding derivatives means the firm has finished integrations with derivatives-only exchanges like Deribit and expanded its use of spot and derivatives exchanges like Binance, Zarya added. The other four sources of liquidity are unnamed over-the-counter (OTC) trading desks.

    Bequant also announced Thursday an instant transfer functionality, allowing clients to move funds from one exchange to another in seconds versus the half-hour or so it would take on-chain, Zarya said.

    “That allows for more efficient collateral management and more trading opportunities,” he said. 

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.