A cryptocurrency hedge fund has delivered a 24,000% return over the past 4 years

Frank Chaparro

Dec 20, 2017, 00:21 IST

A cryptocurrency hedge fund has delivered a 24,000% return over the past 4 years

A general view of the Bitcoin booth at the 2015 International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 9 and is expected to feature 3,600 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 150,000 attendees.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Pantera Capital has delivered a 24,004% returns for investors since its founding in 2013.
The cryptocurrency-focused hedge fund was among the first to specialize in the nascent digital coin market.

Bitcoin's more than 13,000% return since its inception can't hold a candle to Pantera Capital.

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The blockchain-focused California-based hedge fund has delivered a 24,004% return for investors since its founding in 2013, according to a report by Nathaniel Popper at The New York Times.

"A significant portion of the gains have come this year, thanks to the skyrocketing price of an individual bitcoin, which hit $19,000 on Monday," Popper reported Tuesday.

Hedge funds focused on cryptocurrencies have opened up at an eye-popping rate this year. Pantera Capital was among the first to dive into the nascent market for digital coins and the underpinning blockchain technology.

An estimated $2 billion has been invested with specialist hedge funds focusing on cryptocurrencies in 2017, according to estimates from Morgan Stanley. Over 100 such funds exist, according to the bank.

Even some traditional hedge funds are turning to the crypto-space to find outsized returns for clients.

Typhon Capital Management, a Florida hedge fund that specializes in commodities, is launching a cryptocurrency fund at the beginning of 2018 that will invest in digital currencies and initial coin offerings.

Typhon's CEO, James Koutoulas, told Business Insider he expects to raise $5 million to $20 million for the new fund.

"We now feel comfortable taking investors money and putting it into this space," Koutoulas said.

The cryptocurrency market has soared to incredible heights in 2017, providing myriad opportunities for investment firms. Bitcoin, for instance, has soared 1,700% this year to more than $18,000 a coin, according to data from Markets Insider. The entire market for digital coins, of which there are now more than 1,300, now stands above $600 billion.