One of the most prominent and active investors in the crypto space is Barry Silbert, who is the founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG), a company that has backed many of the top projects and firms in the industry. DCG owns several companies that focus on various segments of crypto, such as CoinDesk, Grayscale, Genesis Trading, and Foundry. Through these ventures, Silbert has been promoting positive changes for BTC and other cryptocurrencies, both in terms of adoption and innovation.
As an investment banker at Houlihan Lokey, Silbert began his career as a self-made millionaire. He subsequently established SecondMarket, a platform that allowed trading of illiquid assets such as private company stocks. He became interested in Bitcoin in 2012 and bought his first BTC for $10. He also started buying BTC from people who were facing bankruptcy or legal troubles due to their involvement in crypto. He eventually sold SecondMarket to Nasdaq and focused on building DCG as a dedicated crypto investment firm.
The creation of Grayscale, which is the world’s largest digital asset manager with over $50 billion under management, is one of the most remarkable achievements of Silbert. Grayscale provides several products that enable institutional and accredited investors to access cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, and more. Grayscale’s products are designed as trusts that hold the underlying assets and issue shares that trade on secondary markets. Grayscale’s flagship product is the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), which holds over 650,000 BTC and has over $35 billion in assets under management.
Silbert has been a vocal proponent of the approval of a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the US, which would empower retail investors to buy and sell BTC through a regulated and transparent vehicle. He has contended that a Bitcoin ETF would be advantageous for both investors and the crypto industry, as it would increase liquidity, reduce premiums, and foster innovation. He has also expressed his confidence that a Bitcoin ETF will be approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2023 or 2024. In readiness for this, he has announced that he aims to convert GBTC into an ETF once the regulatory environment is suitable.
Silbert is also promoting positive changes for BTC through Foundry, which is a subsidiary of DCG that provides financing and advisory services to Bitcoin mining firms. Foundry was launched in 2020 with the mission of empowering miners with the tools they need to build, maintain, and secure decentralized networks. Foundry has invested over $100 million in mining equipment and infrastructure, as well as provided financing and consulting services to some of the largest mining operations in North America. By supporting the growth and development of the Bitcoin mining industry in North America, Silbert is contributing to the decentralization, security, and sustainability of the Bitcoin network.
In brief, Barry Silbert is one of the most influential figures in the crypto sector, as he is the founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG), which owns several firms that concentrate on various aspects of cryptocurrency. He has been fostering positive impact for BTC and other cryptocurrencies through his initiatives such as Grayscale and Foundry. He is also a vocal supporter of the approval of a Bitcoin ETF in the US, which would enable more investors to access BTC through a regulated and transparent vehicle.
