The immediate aftermath of the pandemic saw the likes of biotechs, online retailers and mining stocks rise up the stock market leader board. To start 2021, things seem to have centred around two very specialist areas, cannabis and crypto. Just the mention of the likes of Kanabo (KNB) and Argo Blockchain (ARB) sets investors’ pulses racing given the multi-bagger share price rises. Certainly, both have a theme in common, they have at various times been on the right and wrong side of the legal and financial establishment.
Set against such a dynamic background we have Upper Thames Holdings (AQUIS: UPPT) and its new blockchain strategy.
Peer To Peer
However, after years of name calling, blockchain, the technology which enables cryptocurrency, appears to have finally come of age. The key in terms of the breakthrough is that blockchain eliminates the need for a central clearer, such as a bank. The result is direct, instant, peer to peer transactions, which are verified and permanently stored as they are made.
DeFi
While it is obvious that traditional centralised brokers and banks would be against “DeFi” or decentralized finance, there has been a clear sea change away from those with vested interests. Indeed, it can already be said that since the pandemic began, the real flight to safety has been to the cryptocurrencies space. For instance, at the end of March when Lockdowns began, Bitcoin was around $6,000. It is now knocking on the door of $50,000.
Going Mainstream
Set against such a backdrop, and with the DeFi space set to go mainstream, the initiative by Upper Thames Holdings into the global blockchain sector seems timely. In fact, despite the ongoing centralized drag, the global cryptocurrencies market is valued at $1.5tln. But rather than become entangled in a battle between the old and the new, Upper Thames will be uniting the two markets.
The result can be described as the best of both worlds: linking conventional markets, with crypto exchanges and the blockchain. We already have a star example of how this can work from Tesla (TSLA) stock, which is already traded as a crypto on the Bittrex Global exchange in Bermuda. Indeed, Upper Thames is set to use the leading Bittrex platform, not just to trade the stock of the moment, but a wide range of asset classes. This is set to include fiat debt, future revenues and asset sales and even Gold in the ground. Upper Thames also has the backing of Mattereum, as its blockchain issuer of tokenized assets, while using Ethereum for secure transactions.
Investment Appetite
All of this infrastructure is going into a company, Upper Thames Holdings, formerly PCG Entertainment. It has just raised £516,000 on the Aquis Exchange, to supercharge its new blockchain strategy. The move is timely as there has been an incredible investment appetite seen on the London market in recent weeks for all the companies related to the crypto and blockchain area.
A Specialist Niche
Accordingly, it is difficult to imagine that a company like Upper Thames, which has set in place a unique offering and its own specialist niche, should not join the likes of Argo Blockchain (ARB), KR1 (KR1), Mode Global (MODE) and Online Blockchain (OBC) high on the watchlists of those wanting exposure to one of the best performing sub-sectors of the year to date. This idea is backed by the way that in strongly bullish conditions in recent months, stocks of all shapes and sizes quickly trade at significant premiums, both in the wake of fund raises and IPOs.
City Support For Upper Thames
Just to illustrate the depth of backing behind the news moves at Upper Thames, it is being supported by Peterhouse as its new AQUIS adviser, serial entrepreneur Dave Lenigas, Cannon Street Investments and Sanderson Capital. Thus, there are plenty of sources to deliver follow up funding, with the notion of a move to a higher tier exchange as the business develops.
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