The crypto asset boom of 2017 was powered by retail investors, but now institutional players appear to be coming around to the momentous opportunities offered by digital currencies. A rising number of big name firms are exploring crypto and driving demand, setting the stage potentially for a new virtual gold rush. But as serious investors embrace crypto assets, they’ll need the right resources to navigate this complex and rapidly evolving landscape. 

Enter Crypcentra, a beautifully designed institutional-grade suite of tools to help investors make sense of the crypto market by developing data infrastructure and tools that support the full lifecycle of crypto asset assessment and investment. Think of it as a Bloomberg Terminal for crypto assets. 

The Nuts & Bolts

Problem:

Cryptocurrencies are no longer a niche corner of finance inhabited only by technically-inclined early adopters—these assets are making waves in mainstream financial circles. Demand for crypto these days is different from the 2017 bubble, with real interest emerging among institutional investors. 

Still, the world of crypto assets remains complex and Bitcoin (which already briefly surpassed a $1 trillion market cap in 2021) is no longer the only digital currency that matters. Many would argue the real action is happening within the altcoin space, DeFi or Decentralized Finance–the droves of crypto assets launched after Bitcoin. There are more than 5,000 altcoins out there, and with steady adoption across the board, relatively low barriers to entry, the growth rate of new crypto asset development is showing no signs of cooling. As of May 2021, the total digital asset space–excluding Bitcoin, reached a market cap of nearly $1.5 trillion. The value will continue to grow here as well as the complexity in determining a winning investment strategy. 

Investors getting into this space still find it difficult to track down details on token releases, partnerships, and early backers. More complex tasks that require larger, high quality data sets of trades are nearly impossible to find. For institutional investors, there aren’t many established crypto research platforms out there providing the analytics and insights needed to effectively construct and manage crypto portfolios.

Solution:

Crypcentra is building a suite of data and investment tools for institutional investors navigating crypto assets. Its platform is designed to empower institutional investors to effectively allocate capital and better understand the risks and opportunities in the crypto landscape.

The startup aims to help investors construct and manage crypto portfolios by enhancing the quality of data and streamlining the development of strategies. It’s putting a premium on design and user experience, while focusing on properly gathering, processing and displaying essential data insights. 

Crypcentra’s platform will serve a diverse group of industry stakeholders through a single-entry point, allowing users to intelligently integrate quantitative, fundamental and alternative data for any supported asset. Its platform can be used by anyone in financial services, but in particular Crypcentra is catering to hedge funds, mutual funds, asset managers, brokerage firms, pension funds and endowment fund managers.

Getting to know Crypcentra

Crypcentra’s team offers a combination of high finance sophistication and strong tech and crypto connectivity. 

Co-founder and CEO Alpha Kargbo has spent time as a consultant working on strategy projects for companies such as Barclays, Rolls Royce and Nike, as well as working at KPMG. Alpha is currently finishing up a Master’s in Infrastructure Investment and Finance at University College London. Co-founder and CTO Ayoola Oluwanusin is a trained developer who earned an electrical engineering degree from King’s College in London. Ayo has spent time at UBS, Google and Bloomberg as a software developer. A frequent participant in hackathons, he loves tackling big data problems and is very keen on beautiful and effective product interfaces. 

Why now?

Crypcentra is ready to take advantage of a rising tide in crypto, as more institutional investors take this space seriously and adoption rises. We’re still in the early innings here, but it’s becoming clear that crypto is no longer seen as a fad fueled by retail investors on the fringes of finance. 

The market cap of all cryptocurrencies briefly topped $2.5 trillion in May 2021, and despite continued volatility, institutional investors haven’t pulled back. Although a JP Morgan survey of institutional investors recently found that 78% of respondents didn’t plan to invest in crypto, 58% admitted crypto is here to stay. Either way, it’s only a matter of time before more institutions jump into the fray. 

Meanwhile, the vast majority of central banks surveyed worldwide are studying digital currencies, and there’s interesting activity taking place in the decentralized finance world. That all bodes well for continued crypto momentum.

The future of Crypcentra

Crypcentra’s goal is to make sense of all the noise and complexities around crypto assets by mapping out the investable universe within the greater crypto space. With a platform making it simpler and more intuitive for institutional investors to access analytics and insights, Crypcentra has a bright future as sophisticated digital asset trading accelerates.

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You can learn more about Crypcentra at: https://crypcentra.com/

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