Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin: Strong Demand Drives Launch of First Crypto-Asset Benchmark for Institutional Investors in Japan

January 29, 2020 – Frankfurt

MV Index Solutions (MVIS) and Intelligence Unit (IU),  a global provider of quantitative research and development for digital asset investment solutions, today announced collaboration with Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (NRI), a leading provider of consulting services and system solutions, to jointly launch the NRI/IU Crypto-Asset Index for financial institutions.

Utilizing the crypto-asset index platforms provided by MVIS and CryptoCompare, the global leader in digital asset data, the investable index offers an investment solution for Japanese financial institutions as well as global investors.

The NRI/IU Crypto-Asset Index is the first crypto-asset benchmark for institutional investors in Japan.  The index offers a reliable reference point for evaluating performance by providing benchmarks constructed with a clear and transparent methodology. Designed for Japanese institutional investors and crypto-asset exchanges by considering local availability, JPY and USD currency, custody solutions and official closing values in the local time zone (JST). The NRI/IU Crypto-Asset Index contains the crypto-assets listed in the table below.

“We are pleased to launch this index for Intelligence Unit and the Nomura Research Institute,” said Thomas Kettner, managing director at MVIS. “We are happy to offer our services and deep expertise in digital assets indexing to the Japanese market.”

“Strong demand from institutional investors is contributing to the growth of crypto-asset funds, and well-diversified products like index funds are attractive as alternative investments. We will bridge the traditional financial world and the crypto-asset world by providing institutional grade crypto-asset benchmarks, further establishing the status of crypto-assets as alternative investments,” explained Akihiro Niimi, CEO of Intelligence Unit.

Charles Hayter, co-founder and CEO of CryptoCompare, commented,

“As part of our collaboration with MVIS, we are excited to offer institutional investors in Japan the first crypto asset investible index.”

Key Index Features

Full Market Capitalization (bn USD): 203.3
Number of Components: 5
Base Date/Base Value: December 31, 2015/100