European cryptocurrency asset manager CoinShares has revealed plans to buy Bastion Asset Management, a London crypto investment company, as it seeks to expand its actively managed investment products. The deal is still subject to approval from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
As per the official announcement, Bastion, which specializes in systematic and quantitative trading in digital assets, will be fully integrated into CoinShares, including its team, strategies, and technology. Neither company disclosed the financial terms of the acquisition.
As part of the deal, Bastion’s Co-Founders, Fred Desobry and Philip Scott, will join CoinShares, bringing their experience in systematic investing and financial services to support the firm’s expansion and work with institutional clients.
Scott said, “This acquisition will enable us to further scale our investor base, accelerate the build out of our innovative alternative program whilst increasing our investor outreach.”
CoinShares US expansion
CoinShares, which manages around $10 billion in assets, aims to expand its presence in the United States. Unlike many U.S. crypto firms that focus on passive products such as Bitcoin or Ether ETFs, the company plans to develop actively managed funds where managers use strategies to try to outperform the market.
CoinShares CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti said, “Having worked closely with Bastion over the course of the last year, we have experienced firsthand the performance of their strategies and witnessed their expertise in systematic digital asset investing.” Mognetti noted that this will enhance CoinShares’ ability to serve investors seeking actively managed digital asset solutions.
The deal also comes as CoinShares signs an agreement with Vine Hill Capital Investment Corp., a U.S.-listed SPAC, to bring the company to the Nasdaq Stock Market with a pre-investment valuation of $1.2 billion.
Industry data indicate an increasing demand for active strategies within the crypto ETF market. Though passive products remain ubiquitous, the active crypto ETFs have increased in number by more than twice over recent years, even outpacing index-tracking funds earlier in 2025.
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