Hong Kong–Based Blockchain Fund Makes Its Case for Yen-Backed Stablecoin

Grandshores Technology Group, a Hong Kong–listed investment holding company, is seeking to raise around $12.7 million through a digital token fund, according to reports from the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Grandshores Technology plans to use the funding to launch a yen-backed stablecoin.

Chinese investor Yongjie Yao, who currently chairs Grandshores Technology, is also a founding partner at Hangzhou Grandshores Fund, which is backed by the local government of the city of Hangzhou and Chinese crypto billionaire Xiaolai Li.

Yao stated that the company plans to attract investment from qualified investors from outside China to raise funds via Tether, according to the SCMP

report. The company will also invest in disruptive startups and other cryptocurrency projects across the globe that are challenging the status quo.

“We are entering the next stage of blockchain evolution, a stage which is akin to when computer operating systems were transiting from MS-DOS [disk operating system] to MS-Windows.”

The founding partners of Hangzhou Grandshores Fund are currently working with an unnamed, mid-tier Japanese bank to develop the yen-based stablecoin. Grandshores has plans to launch stablecoins pegged to the Hong Kong dollar and the Australian dollar in the future.

Yao remains confident regarding the demand for the coin when it launches. He believes the token could be ready by the end of 2018 or the first quarter of 2019.

“We believe cryptocurrency traders and exchanges will be potential takers of this stablecoin,” he added.

Stablecoins help tackle one of crypto’s chief dilemmas — volatility — without compromising its core values. On a smaller scale, they also help investors trade seamlessly while transferring money between crypto exchanges.

Earlier this year, Binance Labs, OKEx and other notable investors funded a stablecoin project out of South Korea called Terra. Liechtenstein’s Union Bank AG also issued its stablecoin, as it aims to become the world’s first blockchain investment bank.  

Paxos and Gemini joined the party last week, launching their stablecoins on the Ethereum blockchain.