Bitcoin has gained more than 20 per cent in value over the past seven days, despite a slump last Tuesday which dragged it below $30,000. Reuters
Bitcoin has gained more than 20 per cent in value over the past seven days, despite a slump last Tuesday which dragged it below $30,000. Reuters
Bitcoin has gained more than 20 per cent in value over the past seven days, despite a slump last Tuesday which dragged it below $30,000. Reuters
Bitcoin has gained more than 20 per cent in value over the past seven days, despite a slump last Tuesday which dragged it below $30,000. Reuters

Bitcoin surges towards $40,000 mark on Amazon rumours


Michael Fahy
  • English
  • Arabic

Bitcoin gained more than 13 per cent in value on Monday morning as it led a rebound in cryptocurrency valuations from their recent slump.

The world's biggest cryptocurrency rose to $39,179.82 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange by 10.30am UAE time, which is partly a natural correction given the recent slump.

It is also a response to an unconfirmed report by London-based newspaper City AM that Amazon is preparing to accept Bitcoin as a method of payment, as well as working on its own token concept. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

"Over the past two to three months, we have seen Bitcoin pull back after a historic rally to $64,000. This is quite normal with any meteoric rise in an asset's price," said Vijay Ayyar, head of business development at cryptocurrency company Luno.

"While we had a 50 per cent correction as the first leg of a corrective rally, we are potentially now seeing the immediate bounce that could take Bitcoin beyond $40,000, to around $45,000 to $48,000," he said.

The revival in Bitcoin's price pushed its market capitalisation back up to just below $796 billion and means the cryptocurrency has increased in value by more than 32 per cent since falling to $29,539 during last Tuesday's slump.

Other cryptocurrencies also rebounded in value on Monday, with Ether trading more than 10 per cent higher at $2,385.60 and XRP up 11 per cent to $0.675.

Traders in cryptocurrencies also appear to be less worried about the threat of regulation, at least in the US, according to Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at broker Avatrade.

A number of asset managers have been waiting for the Securities and Exchange Commission to approve their applications to create a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund but the regulator has yet to give the green light to any.

A Bitcoin Trust operated by Grayscale currently has more than $21bn of assets under management, but it charges investors annual fees of 2 per cent.

"It seems more possible today that the SEC will pass the Bitcoin ETF – whenever that will happen," Mr Aslam said. "In terms of Bitcoin's price action, we are more focused on the $45,000 level and once the price is above that, we are very likely to see some more bullish bets coming into the market."

A Bitcoin ETF run by Canadian digital asset manager 3iQ already trades on the Toronto stock exchange and recently secured a secondary listing on Nasdaq Dubai.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter

1. Dubai silk road

2.  A geo-economic map for Dubai

3. First virtual commercial city

4. A central education file for every citizen

5. A doctor to every citizen

6. Free economic and creative zones in universities

7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes

8. Co-operative companies in various sectors

­9: Annual growth in philanthropy

The biog

Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer

Marital status: Single

Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran

Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food

Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish

Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com

SPECS
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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

MATCH INFO

Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)

Russia 0

The%20specs
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Company Profile

Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi

Updated: July 27, 2021, 6:08 AM