Digital asset investment firm CoinShares International Limited today announced the acquisition of the ETF index business from Elwood Technologies. Through this platform, Elwood partnered with Invesco to launch the Invesco Elwood Global Blockchain Equity UCITS ETF (the “Invesco Blockchain ETF”), which provides exposure to internationally listed companies generating earnings from blockchain technology.
On July 5, 2021, CoinShares International Limited entered into a sale and purchase agreement (the “SPA”) to acquire the entire issued share capital in Elwood Asset Management Services Limited from its parent company, Elwood Capital Management Limited (“ECML”) for $17 million. The transaction will settle via an equity swap, through the issuance of 1,298,322 new ordinary shares at a price of $13.09 per share, and is expected to complete in the second week of July upon admission of the consideration shares to trading.
The SPA contains customary vendor and purchaser representations and covenants. Upon completion, the consideration shares received by ECML will be subject to a standard 12 month lock up. CoinShares will own the intellectual property and existing contracts relating to Elwood’s index business, including several products currently under development with Invesco.
The collaboration between CoinShares and Invesco will further bridge the gap between traditional asset management and cryptocurrencies whilst broadening both firms’ connectivity with global institutional investors and allocators. With $1,505 billion of assets under management as at May 31, 2021, Invesco is one of the world’s largest asset managers offering a comprehensive range of active, passive and alternative investment capabilities, and was the world’s first institutional asset manager to introduce a blockchain-focused thematic ETF via its partnership with Elwood in March 2019.