Well, here’s something you don’t see every day. A Swiss bank, the fully regulated Amina Bank AG, has just teamed up with a Nasdaq-listed digital asset firm, Metalpha Technology Holding. Their first project? A new fund launched out of Hong Kong. It feels like a significant move, perhaps signaling where big money is looking next.
A New Fund for Professional Investors
The fund is called Principal Fund I. It’s being distributed through Amina’s subsidiary in Hong Kong and is squarely aimed at qualified professional investors. The minimum investment is set at one million dollars, which tells you pretty much all you need to know about the intended clientele. It’s not for the average person.
But the interesting part is the focus. This isn’t just holding Bitcoin. It’s a crypto equity fund. That means it’s buying up shares in companies like Coinbase and MicroStrategy—firms that are deeply tied to the crypto world. They’re even using derivatives, apparently to help manage risk against Bitcoin’s famous volatility.
Why Hong Kong? And Why Now?
It’s no accident this is happening in Hong Kong. The city has been making a concerted effort to position itself as a friendly hub for crypto institutions. They’ve been building out the rules, the infrastructure—all of it.
Michael Benz from Amina Bank put it like this: Hong Kong focused on building the institutional framework first. Now, he says, we’re seeing the next step. Broader adoption by professional investors. It makes sense. There’s a growing appetite for these regulated instruments, especially after the success of Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S.
A Matter of Trust and Regulation
This is the core of it, I think. The fund is managed by LSQ Capital, a Metalpha subsidiary licensed by Hong Kong’s securities watchdog. The whole thing is wrapped in layers of regulation, from Switzerland to Hong Kong.
That’s the sales pitch, anyway. A “secure, trusted, and regulated approach,” as LSQ’s Monique Chan stated. They’re targeting global ultra-high-net-worth individuals who want exposure to digital assets but are, understandably, wary of the wild west reputation.
Of course, the disclosures will still warn about volatility and the risk of losing principal. They have to. It’s a risky asset class. Critics will always point to the speculation. But supporters see this as the inevitable merging of traditional finance with digital assets. A way to bring in more protection and, eventually, more people.
And if the bank’s claims are right, the fund has already performed quite well against its benchmark. That kind of news tends to get people’s attention.
