Top

Aurora Mobile & VMS Group to invest in crypto

Markets·June 26, 2025, 12:52 AM

Earlier this month, CoinNess reported on a flurry of Asian companies who had announced plans to add crypto to their balance sheets. That trend continued this week with two Chinese companies announcing similar plans.

 

In a press release published on June 24, Aurora Mobile, a marketing technology firm based in Shenzhen, announced its intention to begin to invest in digital assets. The Nasdaq-listed company (JG) outlined that its Board of Directors had approved the investment of up to 20% of the firm’s cash and cash equivalents in various digital assets in a strategic initiative involving Aurora Mobile’s treasury management.

https://asset.coinness.com/en/news/0d918fa9e883e0f0f5d663ec72ad6fa5.webp
Photo by Traxer on Unsplash

Gaining exposure to emerging asset class

It described the initiative as an example of the company’s “commitment to innovative treasury practices,” focusing on long-term value creation for Aurora Mobile’s shareholders.

 

The firm’s CEO, Weidong Luo, said that the initiative will enable the company to diversify its portfolio, “gaining exposure to an emerging asset class with low correlation to traditional markets.” Luo also asserted that the move would demonstrate that the firm is “aligning with the technological advancements reshaping global finance.”

 

Aurora Mobile indicated that it would look to purchase Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Sui and other tokens.

 

China’s crypto trading ban

A trading ban on crypto was introduced in mainland China in 2021. With that, it’s unclear how Aurora Mobile will establish its crypto treasury. It may opt to do so through Singapore-based subsidiary EngageLab or through an affiliated corporate entity in Hong Kong.

 

No such ban applies in Hong Kong, where VMS Group, another company which has decided to invest in digital assets, is headquartered. VMS Group is a family office which provides investment solutions and advisory services, while specializing in alternative investments. 

 

According to a report published by Bloomberg on June 23, the company, which has $4 billion worth of assets under management (AUM), intends to allocate up to $10 million to investment strategies run by a decentralized finance (DeFi)-focused hedge fund, Re7 Capital.

 

VMS Group managing partner Elton Cheung told Bloomberg that the investment decision was taken as part of an effort to diversify into more liquid investments. Cheung added:

 

“We thought this was the right time [to invest in digital assets] because of growing demand and because we see clearer legislative and government support from various jurisdictions, as well as large institutional support and endorsement.”

 

Potential partnerships

VMS Group executive Zhi Li, who has been tasked with leading digital asset investments for the company, said that the firm is examining potential partnerships with blockchain payments and infrastructure projects. Li stated that “there is very strong institutional and family interest in getting regulated digital asset exposure,” adding that VMS has “seen the younger generation of families wanting to do something different.”

 

Alongside these investments into cryptocurrencies, demand for crypto-related stocks in Hong Kong is also surging. Shares in publicly-listed licensed digital asset platforms in the Chinese autonomous territory surged by as much as 200% on June 25 as the market reacted positively to the city’s developing digital assets policy.

More to Read
View All
Web3 & Enterprise·

Aug 11, 2023

Alchemic Investment and Nanuhm Angels Collaborate to Boost Web3 and Blockchain Investments

Alchemic Investment and Nanuhm Angels Collaborate to Boost Web3 and Blockchain InvestmentsKorean deep tech investment firm Alchemic Investments announced that it has entered into a partnership with venture capital firm Nanuhm Angels to enhance investments in blockchain, Web3, artificial intelligence, and deep tech.Photo by Precondo CA on UnsplashInvesting in the future of Web3 in KoreaThe two firms will work with the city of Incheon — a metropolitan city located near the nation’s capital of Seoul — to discover promising Web3 companies while strategically investing in and nurturing startups that aspire to innovate existing businesses using blockchain technology.They will also participate in Incheon’s roadmap for fostering blockchain businesses after Incheon Technopark’s blockchain company acceleration program kicks off this year. This program supplies Incheon-based startups and small companies with the resources required to grow their blockchain businesses, thereby establishing Incheon as a blockchain hub.“Just as Japan and Hong Kong are leading the Web3 market in Asia, many Korean startups are also likely to emerge as leaders of the market once a legal foundation is established in the country,” said Min Kyung-man, CEO of Alchemic Investments.“We plan to support global expansion through our network with major overseas companies and institutions that highly value Korea’s growth potential in leading the technologies of the future.”About Alchemic InvestmentsAlchemic Investments was established in March of this year and invests in areas such as Web3, fintech, and AI. Housing seasoned professionals in asset management and strategic investment in major corporations, the company is currently in the process of recruiting investors to establish its first fund, aiming for a funding scale of 30 billion KRW (approximately $22.7 million).About Nanuhm AngelsNanuhm Angels works with partners who have experience in managing funds worth 110 billion KRW, as well as acceleration experts skilled in business model validation and refinement and investor relations. Its investment portfolio consists of companies such as Rezi, Onthelook, and NS Studio.It is also an operator of the aforementioned Incheon Technopark blockchain company acceleration program along with a consortium consisting of Web3 gaming studio Ret Games and on-chain risk rating solution developer Undefined Labs.

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Oct 25, 2023

Wemade’s NILE Launches NFT Tickets for Game Exhibition G-STAR 2023

Wemade’s NILE Launches NFT Tickets for Game Exhibition G-STAR 2023NFT Is Life Evolution (NILE), a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and NFT platform built on the WEMIX3.0 network of South Korean blockchain gaming publisher Wemade, is starting the sale of its NFT tickets at noon (local time) on October 25 for the upcoming global game exhibition, G-STAR 2023. The highly-anticipated event is scheduled to take place at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) in the southern port city from November 16 to 19.Photo by Pete Linforth on PixabayNFTs as admission ticketsJointly prepared by Wemade and G-STAR, these NFT tickets are called Real World Event NFTs, functioning as admission tickets and vouchers for special merchandise. One noteworthy feature is that they undergo changes in appearance upon use, a characteristic inherent to dynamic NFTs.The sale of these NFT tickets begins on NILE’s marketplace at noon (local time) on October 25. Those interested can utilize WEMIX dollars (WEMIX$) via the WEMIX Wallet to purchase a daily NFT ticket for their chosen day of attendance at the event.Game enthusiasts will also have the chance to witness Wemade’s latest games at BEXCO. The Korean game company mentioned that it has reserved a significant space at the exhibition hall to showcase two of its newest games: the MMORPG “Legend of YMIR” and the sports game “Fantastic4 Baseball.”WEMIX and Chainalysis partnershipAlong with its gaming and NFT endeavors, Wemade has been taking steps to fortify the security of its ecosystems. On the day of the NFT sale kickoff, the WEMIX Foundation, a subsidiary of Wemade, announced its strategic partnership with Chainalysis, a blockchain data analytics company. This collaboration will bolster the security of storage and transactions of assets within Wemade’s omnichain network. The network is being developed through a project known as “unagi,” which stands for the Unbound Networking and Accelerating Growth Initiative.Established in 2014, Chainalysis has worked with government agencies, cryptocurrency exchanges, financial institutions, insurance companies, and cybersecurity firms in over 70 countries. They offer services to safeguard customers and combat virtual asset-related crimes.Through this partnership, the WEMIX Foundation seeks to operate a comprehensive risk and compliance program via Chainalysis’ data platform. This will help minimize potential risks associated with illicit activities like money laundering while maintaining a smooth user experience.The foundation will also engage with Chainalysis’ Crypto Incident Response service, enabling immediate tracking and recovery of assets if hacked or stolen.Regarding this development, the WEMIX Foundation underlined that its alliance with Chainalysis will enhance the transparency and reliability of both the WEMIX3.0 mainnet and the unagi omnichain ecosystem.

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Apr 26, 2024

Phemex introduces Lending Protocol and Pulse Season 3

Stella Chan, the chief operating officer of Phemex, a crypto derivatives exchange with a presence in Turkey and Singapore, recently provided details of the company’s unveiling of its Lending Protocol and SocialFi initiative Pulse Season 3. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Chan outlined that since the founding of the firm in 2019, the company has been evolving and working towards carving out a niche for itself in the industry. The executive confirmed that the exchange business has reached a point where daily trading volume now exceeds $2 billion across more than 300 trading pairs. Pulse Season 3Chan is also the co-founder of Phemex’s Pulse, a social trading platform that rewards users while attempting to foster a community spirit within the crypto sphere. As part of Phemex events held at Token 2024 in Dubai last week, the company announced Pulse Season 3, a SocialFi mechanism to incentivize community engagement. The initiative introduces casting and tipping features. Casting is a means through which community members can post up content. Meanwhile, tipping serves as a method through which other community members can acknowledge and reward high-quality community member contributions. Through this initiative Phemex is hoping to deliver an enhanced experience where trading seamlessly intersects with trending topics and insightful content.Photo by Shubham Dhage on UnsplashPhemex Lending ProtocolAlongside Pulse Season 3, the company has also launched the Phemex Lending Protocol, a feature allowing users to borrow crypto at competitive rates while earning interest. As part of that offering, all loans are safeguarded through the collateralization of the user’s digital assets. With an initial liquidity allocation of $22 million, this protocol has been established with an eye towards empowering traders to amplify their capital without selling their assets, while aligning in a more general sense with the user’s overall trading needs. Phemex is attempting to spearhead the transition towards greater user autonomy without compromising security. The Phemex Lending Protocol is central to that effort, offering users competitive borrowing rates and opportunities for passive income generation.  Standing testament to that, the platform offers interest rates on USDT starting at 3.57%. For those that hold vePT, the wrapped version of the platform's native Phemex token (PT), an additional 30% discount on borrowing rates is being offered. vePT is destined to act as a token which confers voting authority in the not too distant future, relative to Phemex’s governing decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The platform is further enabling capital efficiency from the service user’s perspective by applying very little restriction so that funds can be withdrawn and redeployed at will, with minimum delay. Coming off the back of these announcements during Token 2024, the company appears to be following through on that momentum. Taking to the X social media platform on April 25, Chan outlined details of a plethora of user experience (UX) upgrades relative to its Pulse offering. Future plansLooking ahead, Phemex envisages the offering of a broader range of products tailored to user needs. Plans for an automated market maker (AMM) protocol aim to provide users with passive earning opportunities by contributing to liquidity. Additionally, Phemex is exploring the development of an on-chain credit scoring mechanism, leveraging its soulbound digital identity token to enhance access to decentralized finance (DeFi).

news
Loading