CoinShares has acquired London-based Bastion Asset Management to accelerate its push into actively managed crypto ETFs in the United States, in a strategic move aimed at meeting rising institutional demand. The deal brings Bastion’s systematic trading know-how and market-neutral strategies into CoinShares’ broader product platform as the firm prepares for a US public listing and wider global expansion.
This acquisition signals a deliberate shift beyond the passive Bitcoin and Ether funds that dominate US crypto asset management today. CoinShares plans to use Bastion’s trading capabilities to develop actively managed products that rely on manager-driven investment selection and seek to outperform benchmark returns, rather than simply tracking spot crypto markets.
Bastion contributes more than 17 years of experience building systematic, alpha-generating strategies for leading hedge funds, including stints working with firms such as BlueCrest Capital and Systematica Investments. Its quantitative approach—rooted in academically backed signals—will be integrated with CoinShares’ platform to pursue returns in varying market conditions and to offer differentiated exposures to institutional investors.
Market context favors this move: most US crypto asset managers currently emphasize passive products, creating a gap for sophisticated, active strategies that can respond to market dislocations, volatility in Bitcoin and Ethereum, and evolving regulatory expectations. By combining Bastion’s expertise in systematic trading and market-neutral techniques with CoinShares’ global distribution and product engine, the group aims to deliver active ETFs tailored to institutional needs.
The acquisition positions CoinShares to expand its ETF suite in a competitive US environment and to offer products that bridge quantitative trading, traditional asset management practices, and crypto-native exposures.
For investors and builders in DeFi, crypto and institutional trading, the transaction underscores growing demand for more dynamic, manager-driven investment solutions in digital-assets markets.
