Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund is investing in the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by way of its venture wing.
Vertex Ventures, the venture capital arm of Temasek Holdings – which is operated by the government of Singapore – has made a strategic investment in Binance and will work with the exchange to set up a new branch in the city-state, the fund announced Tuesday.
The centerpiece of the plan is the creation of Binance Singapore, a fiat-to-crypto exchange, as well as other fiat-crypto services in Southeast Asia, according to press statements. Binance CEO and founder Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, first announced that the exchange would be expanding to Singapore last month.
Vertex Ventures China and Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, two of the fund’s branches, co-invested in the exchange to bring about the new transaction platforms. The total amount invested was not disclosed.
In a statement, Vertex Ventures China managing partner Choon Chong Tay praised CZ, saying he “is one of the most well-respected entrepreneurs in blockchain with high inspiration to build and promote the blockchain ecosystem.”
“We look forward to working with Changpeng Zhao and his team to drive innovation in the space while building a sustainable and compliant platform in Singapore,” Joo Hock Chua, Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India’s managing partner, said in a statement.
Binance Singapore should be running within months, CZ told CoinDesk in September.
Binance image via Primakov / Shutterstock
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