SoftBank Group founder and CEO Masayoshi Son has lost over $130 million from his investments in Bitcoin, a report by the Wall Street Journal revealed.
The Japanese billionaire, who is known for his investments in startups, has invested heavily in in late 2017 when the value of the digital currency is already around its peak. However, as the prices began to plummet, he offloaded all his holdings.
The value of Bitcoin peaked in December 2017, after the launch of Bitcoin futures in the United States market by the Chicago Board Options Exchange. The digital currency, however, could not hold its price and started to go down as it slid to $3,200 in last December.
In recent days, Bitcoin is showing a bullish yet steady trend again as it climbed above $5,600, as per CoinMarketCap.com.
A wrong bet by a pro
Son’s investment in the digital asset was made under the advisory of Peter Briger, co-chairman of the Fortress Investment Group. Briger himself is an early investor in Bitcoin as he first bet on the asset in 2013.
SoftBank acquired Briger’s venture in February 2017 which gave the control of its more than $150 million Bitcoin investments to the Japanese holding company.
The April 23rd report, however, did not specify the exact amount of the digital coin purchased by Son.
SoftBank came into limelight when it launched a $100 billion vision fund to fund startups across the globe. The company has made significant investments in various early-stage ventures including startup-mammoths like Uber, WeWork, and Flipkart. The fund, however, did not make any noticeable investment in any crypto or blockchain-related company.
Son is not the only billionaire to have failed in evolving the crypto industry as last year, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak revealed his .
Meanwhile, the celebrity tennis player Serena Williams recently revealed that she has invested in the US-based crypto exchange.
Be First to Comment