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VanEck has launched a new $30 million fund, VanEck Ventures, focused on early-stage investments in fintech, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence (AI) startups, particularly those working on next-generation payments. This venture, announced on October 9, marks an expansion of VanEck’s commitment to fostering innovation in these cutting-edge sectors.
VanEck Launches a Investment Fund to Support Multiple Sectors
VanEck Ventures will target startups in pre-seed and seed stages, with an emphasis on key areas like tokenized assets, financial marketplaces native to the internet, and payment systems using stablecoins and tokenized capital markets. These technologies are seen as transformative in the evolution of financial systems and digital payments.
The fund will be led by Wyatt Lonergan and Juan Lopez, both of whom previously worked at Circle Ventures, the venture arm of Circle Internet Financial, which operates USD Coin (USDC), one of the largest stablecoins by market capitalization. During their time at Circle Ventures, they oversaw investments of over $50 million in early-stage projects, ranging from infrastructure to consumer applications.
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Wyatt Lonergan emphasized the relevance of stablecoins in the modern financial landscape, predicting that they will become the foundation for an “open-source banking layer.” Juan Lopez echoed this sentiment, stating that with increasing regulatory clarity, it’s a particularly exciting time for developers to bring on-chain utilities that focus on programmability and compliance to the market.
This initiative underscores VanEck’s growing interest in both cryptocurrency and AI, reinforcing its role as a leader in fostering technological innovation in financial markets.