XBTO partners with Arab Bank Switzerland to launch innovative Bitcoin yield product | Image by XBTO
XBTO partners with Arab Bank Switzerland to launch innovative Bitcoin yield product | Image by XBTO
Geneva, Switzerland – XBTO, a global leader in institutional digital asset management, today announced a strategic partnership with Arab Bank Switzerland that will enable the Swiss private bank to launch a sophisticated Bitcoin yield product for its wealth management clients. The collaboration leverages XBTO's proprietary "Diamond Hands" strategy to provide Arab Bank Switzerland's clientele with an actively managed approach to generating yield on their Bitcoin holdings.
The partnership addresses growing client demand for yield-generating cryptocurrency products within a comprehensive regulatory framework and institutional oversight structure. This offering will be branded as an "Arab Bank Switzerland product powered by XBTO," preserving established client relationships while expanding investment capabilities through proven institutional digital asset management expertise.
"Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone in our strategy to work with leading traditional financial institutions," said Karl Naim, Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager for UAE at XBTO. "Arab Bank Switzerland's six-year digital asset infrastructure development, combined with direct client demand for Bitcoin yield products, created the perfect foundation for this collaboration."
Arab Bank Switzerland, which has offered Bitcoin custody services through its partnership with Taurus since 2019, identified a specific gap in their digital asset offerings. While the bank provided custody and loan-to-value lending against Bitcoin, high-net-worth clients specifically requested active yield-generating opportunities.
"We have seen growing demand from our wealth management clients for ways to generate yield on their Bitcoin holdings within a properly managed risk framework," said Romain Braud, Head of Digital Assets at Arab Bank Switzerland. "This collaboration will position Arab Bank Switzerland as the first traditional Swiss private bank to offer an integrated, bank-branded Bitcoin yield product,while maintaining the personal relationship and fiduciary care clients expect from private banking.”
XBTO's "Diamond Hands" strategy employs an options-based methodology designed to generate yield while strategically accumulating Bitcoin during market opportunities. The approach uses existing Bitcoin holdings as collateral for options transactions, generating premiums while positioning for accumulation during market pullbacks.
"The maturation of institutional digital asset demand requires sophisticated solutions that go beyond simple exposure," said Javier Rodriguez-Alarcon, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Asset Management at XBTO. "This partnership demonstrates how established wealth managers can integrate crypto solutions while maintaining fiduciary responsibility through rigorous risk management and institutional oversight. Our approach prioritizes capital preservation and consistent yield generation over speculative trading."
The collaboration sets a precedent for traditional financial institutions seeking to offer structured, compliant cryptocurrency products within existing client relationships rather than directing clients to external providers. With regulatory frameworks maturing and institutional demand accelerating globally, this partnership is expected to serve as a model to drive similar collaborations across the wealth management sector, positioning both firms at the forefront of the digital asset integration into traditional finance.
Media contacts
For XBTO:
Athraa Bheekoo, Luna PR: athraa@lunapr.io
For Arab Bank Switzerland:
Barbara Mahe, Consultancy32: barbara.mahe@consultancy32.com
Lina Lahlou, Consultancy32: lina.lahlou@consultancy32.com
About XBTO
From asset management to capital markets, XBTO helps clients capture opportunities in the age of digital assets.
Founded in 2015 as a proprietary trading firm, XBTO built its foundation through nearly a decade of active participation in digital asset markets.
Since 2023, XBTO has expanded into a full-service crypto quantitative investment firm. With a strong focus on Bitcoin, XBTO delivers risk-adjusted strategies across the alpha–beta continuum designed to perform across market cycles and regulatory environments.
With decades of experience earned at the world’s leading financial institutions and deep expertise in digital markets, XBTO brings a rare combination of financial discipline and digital-native insight.
XBTO International Ltd is registered by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as a Class B Registered Person under the Investment Business Act 2003 and is permitted to deal in investments, arrange deals in investments, give or offer investment advice and promote investments to the public.
XBTO operates under robust regulatory oversight, with operating entities regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority in Abu Dhabi. It operates from key financial hubs including Bermuda, New York, Miami, London, Paris, and Abu Dhabi.
About Arab Bank Switzerland
Arab Bank (Switzerland) Ltd. was established in Switzerland in 1962 and serves as a bridge between the Middle East and the West. For more than 60 years, the Bank has been a trusted partner of established businesses, high net worth individuals and ambitious entrepreneurs with close ties in the MENA region. It is the independent sister company of Arab Bank Plc, one of the largest banks in the Middle East. www.arabbank.ch
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The full breakdown
In our first article, "Navigating Crypto Volatility: The Advantages of Active Management," we explored how the high volatility and low correlation of digital assets with traditional asset classes create unique opportunities for active managers. We discussed how these characteristics enable active managers to execute tactical trading strategies, capitalizing on short-term price movements and market inefficiencies. Building on that foundation, we now turn our attention to the unique market microstructure of digital assets.
Conducive market microstructure of digital assets
The market microstructure of digital assets - a framework that defines how crypto trades are conducted, including order execution, price formation, and market interactions - sets the stage for active management to thrive. This unique ecosystem, characterized by its continuous trading hours, diverse trading venues, and substantial market liquidity, offers several advantages for active management, providing a fertile ground for sophisticated investment strategies.
24/7/365 market access
One of the defining characteristics of digital asset markets is their continuous, round-the-clock operation.
Unlike traditional financial markets that operate within specific hours, cryptocurrency markets are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round. This continuous trading capability is particularly advantageous for active managers for several reasons:
- Immediate response to market events: Unlike traditional markets that close after regular trading hours, digital asset markets allow managers to react immediately to breaking news or events that could impact asset prices. For instance, if a significant economic policy change occurs over the weekend, managers can adjust their positions in real-time without waiting for markets to open.
- Managing volatility: Continuous trading provides more opportunities to capitalize on price movements and volatility. Active managers can take advantage of this by implementing strategies such as short-term trading or hedging to mitigate risks and lock in gains whenever market conditions change. For instance, if there’s a sudden drop in the price of Bitcoin, managers can quickly sell their holdings to minimize losses or buy in to capitalize on the lower prices.
Variety of trading venues
The proliferation and variety of trading venues is another crucial element of the digital asset market structure. The extensive landscape of over 200 centralized exchanges (CEX) and more than 500 decentralized exchanges (DEX) offers a wide array of platforms for cryptocurrency trading. This diversity is beneficial for active managers in several ways:
- Risk management and diversification: By spreading trades across various exchanges, active managers can mitigate counterparty risk associated with any single platform. Additionally, the ability to trade on both CEX and DEX platforms allows managers to diversify their strategies, incorporating different levels of decentralization, regulatory environments, and security features.
- Arbitrage opportunities: Different venues often exhibit price discrepancies, presenting arbitrage opportunities. For example, managers can buy an asset on one exchange at a lower price and sell it on another where the price is higher, thus generating risk-free profits.
- Access to diverse liquidity pools: Multiple trading venues provide access to diverse liquidity pools, ensuring that managers can execute large trades without significantly impacting the market price.
Spot and derivatives markets (Variety of instruments)
The seamless integration of spot and derivatives markets within the digital asset space presents a considerable advantage for active managers. With substantial liquidity in both markets, they can implement sophisticated trading strategies and manage risk more effectively.
For instance, as of August 8 2024, Bitcoin (BTC) boasts a daily spot trading volume of $40.44 billion and an open interest in futures of $27.75 billion. Additionally, derivatives such as futures, options, and perpetual contracts enable managers to hedge positions, leverage trades, and employ complex strategies that can amplify returns.
Overall, the benefits for active managers include:
- Hedging and risk management: Derivatives offer a powerful tool for hedging against unfavorable price movements, enabling more efficient risk management. For instance, a manager holding a substantial amount of Bitcoin in the spot market can use Bitcoin futures contracts to safeguard against potential price drops, thereby enhancing risk control.
- Access to leverage: Managers can use derivatives to leverage their positions, amplifying potential returns while maintaining control over risk exposure. For instance, by employing options, a manager can gain exposure to an underlying asset with only a fraction of the capital needed for a direct spot purchase, thereby enabling more capital-efficient investment strategies.
- Strategic flexibility: By integrating spot and derivatives markets, managers can implement sophisticated strategies designed to capitalize on diverse market conditions. For instance, they may engage in volatility selling, where options are sold to generate income from market volatility, regardless of price direction. Additionally, managers can leverage favorable funding rates in perpetual futures markets to enhance yield generation. Basis trading, another strategy, involves taking offsetting positions in spot and futures markets to profit from price differentials, enabling returns that are independent of market movements.
Exploiting market inefficiencies
Digital asset markets, being relatively nascent, are less efficient compared to traditional financial markets. These inefficiencies arise from various factors, including regulatory differences, market segmentation, and varying levels of market maturity. For example:
- Pricing anomalies: Phenomena like the "Kimchi premium," where cryptocurrency prices in South Korea trade at a premium compared to other markets, create arbitrage opportunities. Managers can exploit these by buying assets in one market and selling them in another at a higher price.
- Exploiting mispricings: Active managers can identify and capitalize on mispricings caused by market inefficiencies, using strategies such as statistical arbitrage and mean reversion.
The unique aspects of the digital asset market structure create an exceptionally conducive environment for active management. Continuous trading hours and diverse venues provide the flexibility to react quickly to market changes, ensuring timely execution of trades. The availability of both spot and derivatives markets supports a wide range of sophisticated trading strategies, from hedging to leveraging positions. Market inefficiencies and pricing anomalies offer numerous opportunities for generating alpha, making active management particularly effective in the digital asset space. Furthermore, the ability to hedge and manage risk through derivatives, along with exploiting uncorrelated performance, enhances portfolio resilience and stability.
In our next article, we'll delve into the various techniques active managers employ in the digital asset markets, showcasing real-world use cases.
