Parent company Google invests more and more in crypto industry

Last Updated: 19 August 2022

Blockdata examined the blockchain-related investment activity of the 100 largest listed companies in the world. It is striking that in the period from September 2021 to June 2022, 40 of the 100 largest companies invested in crypto and blockchain. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, participated in four investment rounds that together accounted for EUR 1.475 billion.

Big names invest

Google’s parent company is certainly not the only big name to have invested in the crypto industry during this period. BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Samsung, Goldman Sachs, BNY Mellon, and PayPal also participated. Blockdata estimates that the 40 companies invested a total of $6 billion (€5.88 billion) in blockchain and crypto companies. The only caveat to Blockdata’s research is that no details of the investment rounds are known.

Alphabet, for example, participated in four investment rounds in which a total of 1.475 billion euros was raised. But it is unclear for how much they are responsible. Samsung, for example, was active in 13 different investment rounds, with the caveat that in those rounds, a total of 959.42 million euros was raised. Therefore, it is not certain that Google’s parent company was the largest investor in the top 100.

What are the largest companies investing in?

A total of 61 blockchain and crypto parties received investments in 71 different investment rounds. These companies are active in more than 20 industries and focus on 65 different applications of the technology. 19 companies offer a form of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). Many of these parties belong to industries such as gaming, art, and entertainment.

For example, 12 parties are marketplaces, some of which support the trading of NFTs. 11 organisations in which the world’s largest listed companies invest offer gaming services. NFTs, in particular, seem to be popular with ‘big money’ at the moment, which is clearly trying to follow the latest trends. The emphasis is on NFTs, but the investment round of over 500 million euros in Circle shows that stablecoins are also a popular part of the industry.

Samsung uses different strategy than Google and BlackRock

Not all listed giants use the same strategy when it comes to investing in crypto companies. Samsung, for example, has an extensive portfolio. The South Korean conglomerate invested in 15 different technological applications, including blockchain services, NFTs, and social networks. Alphabet and BlackRock show a completely different strategy. They focus on a smaller set of companies.

That said, companies are exploring different applications and portfolios that complement their operations. Here Technologies, a location platform, is investing in UNL, a blockchain-based location technology. With this, it wants to implement the security and transparency of blockchain technology in its services.

Banks are also increasingly active in the crypto industry. In August 2021, 55 percent of the world’s top 100 banks were already investing in crypto companies. In the period from August 2021 to May 2022, 23 banks made investments in the sector. According to Blockdata, this is due to the growing demand for crypto from their customer base. In response, several banks invested in crypto management companies, asset managers, and trading platforms.