The USA’s positive regulatory environment for blockchain and cryptocurrencies is luring more businesses into its jurisdiction.

By Yat Siu, co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, recently revealed their plan to list their Web3 investment company in New York.

Yat Siu, co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, has revealed their plan to list their Web3 investment company in New York "soon." Siu, in an interview with the Financial Times, said that they are still examining several shareholding structures and the timing will depend on market conditions.

Animoca is considering listing its New York investment company in New York.

The move comes as the US presents a more positive regulatory environment for blockchain and cryptocurrencies, luring more businesses into its jurisdiction. Siu claimed that the current administration, in contrast to the past one, is open to new technologies and innovations.

"It feels like there’s a great moment in the US at the moment, especially with this administration that is open to new technologies and innovations, which is in stark contrast to the previous administration that was focused on clamping down," Siu stated.

He added that it made more sense to stay clear of the US during that time, and their operation overseas has given them a competitive advantage. The same factor also prevented potential competitors in their space from entering the area, making it a win-win scenario for them.

"But now, with this administration, it feels like there’s a great opportunity for us to expand into the US market, and we’re actively looking at that possibility."

Animoca's Valuation

After a series of funding rounds in 2022, the company’s private valuation was set at $6 billion. However, it’s worth noting that the surge in crypto prices from late last year to the present has already caused their digital asset holdings, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Polygon (MATIC), ApeCoin (APE), and The Sandbox (SAND) tokens, to appreciate in valuation.

In March, Animoca’s unaudited report for the 12 months ending on December 31, 2024 showed a more than 12% increase in bookings from $280 million in 2023 to $314 million. Its Digital Asset Advisory (DAA) business accounted for $165 million, while Web3 businesses generated $110 million, and investment activities resulted in $39 million in gains.

Along the way, Animoca managed to reduce its annual operating expenses (excluding non-cash and non-token-based payments such as share-based payments) significantly by 11%, decreasing from $246 million in 2023 to $217 million in 2024. The company attributed this development to the optimization initiatives enforced by Animoca and its subsidiaries during the second half of 2023. Moreover, Animoca’s strong utilization of AI (artificial intelligence) tools heavily contributed to the cost-cutting measures.

The Web3 organization's digital assets stockpile amounted to $538 million, and its cash and stablecoin balances were $293 million at the time of the report. On the other hand, it maintained off-balance sheet token reserves of $2.9 billion, including SAND, EDU, Moca Network (MOCA), and GMEE.