Digital assets platform Bakkt completes acquisition of Apex Crypto
New York-based Bakkt introduced on Monday that it acquired regulatory approval to accumulate buying and selling infrastructure supplier Apex Crypto in one of many largest offers within the crypto panorama because the onset of the bear market in mid-2021. The deal will see the publicly-traded Bakkt pay $55 million in money plus $100 million in inventory.
Whereas Bakkt first introduced the acquisition in November, it needed to anticipate regulatory approval from the New York Division of Monetary Companies, the place Bakkt holds each a BitLicense and belief constitution, in addition to quite a lot of different states the place Bakkt and Apex maintain cash transmitter licenses.
Bakkt, which affords buying and selling and custodial providers, went public in October 2021 by way of a particular objective acquisition firm, however its share worth has plunged almost 96% from a excessive shortly after its IPO. For CEO Gavin Michael, the acquisition of Apex represents a path towards profitability for Bakkt because it appears to be like past the Crypto Winter.
“We’re actually positioning ourselves to that subsequent wave,” he informed Fortune in an interview on Friday. “Crypto is right here to remain.”
Bakkt’s subsequent chapter
Since its founding in 2018, Bakkt has tried out totally different approaches to crypto markets, together with providing Bitcoin futures buying and selling to institutional traders, in addition to a direct-to-consumer crypto-powered rewards program. Based on Michael, Bakkt has settled on what he describes as a business-to-business-to-consumer technique, or B2B2C in trade phrases, which means that Bakkt affords its providers to different companies, who in flip serve retail clients.
For instance, Bakkt works with neighborhood banks and credit score unions to assist them construct an embedded net expertise into their digital platforms the place their customers can commerce Bitcoin. In different phrases, Bakkt features as a easy Bitcoin change included into different monetary platforms. As a belief firm, it additionally affords Bitcoin custodial providers to institutional purchasers, which means it can maintain Bitcoin on their behalf. Bakkt acquired a belief constitution from NYDFS in 2019 and a BitLicense in 2021.
In February, Bakkt shuttered its consumer-facing crypto rewards app, the place corporations might supply clients crypto incentives. Michael stated that Bakkt nonetheless works with purchasers to assist them handle rewards applications, together with the resort and on line casino large Caesars Leisure.
Bakkt has a powerful pedigree, initially launched by the Intercontinental Change, the operator of the New York Inventory Change, as its first foray into crypto. Even so, Bakkt has struggled to discover a profitable technique, with The Info reporting on Friday that it laid off employees in December and March and plans to cut back its headcount 40% by the tip of 2023, in comparison with the tip of 2022. Bakkt presently has a market cap of simply over $456 million.
Apex presents a lifeline for the corporate. A so-called “turnkey platform,” Apex has the same mannequin to Bakkt, permitting different companies to implement crypto buying and selling into their providers. Michael stated that Apex has a wider array of cryptocurrencies that it affords, in addition to servicing a wider array of companies, together with neobanks and different monetary know-how corporations. Two of Apex’s purchasers are the monetary providers agency WeBull and the investing platform Public.com.
With the acquisition of Apex, Bakkt will acquire its almost 6 million crypto-enabled accounts, 30 enterprise purchasers, and $12.5 billion of crypto traded. Michael stated that Apex can even assist it increase into abroad markets, noting that a lot of its current monetary know-how purchasers function internationally. The corporate hopes to be EBITDA-positive in 2024.
“We wish to have the ability to scale the enterprise effectively and successfully,” Michael informed Fortune.
Given the regulatory difficulties going through the crypto trade, the acquisition represents a uncommon brilliant spot for the sector, with Bakkt working with its regulator, NYDFS, to finish the deal.
“It’s been powerful for the previous couple of months,” Michael stated. “We’re capable of actually present that there are considerate, risk-focused gamers which might be capable of positively impression the area.”
