The Public Investment Bank BPifrance, based in France, announced plans on Thursday to invest $ 27 million (€ 25 million) directly in tokens and decentralized technologies in an attempt to “strengthen the French blockchain ecosystem”.
Announced during a blockchain-oriented event in Paris, the bank’s investment wants to accelerate its ‘digital asset control strategy’ by strengthening French crypto startups and helping local risk capital players in web3.
“We are convinced of the growing interest that these players will hire in the coming years, and we want to increase the French competitive capacity and the presence in the field of digital assets,” said Arnaud Caudoux, Vice -CEO of BPifrance, in a Thursday rack.
The new BPIFRANCE Fund will supplement its long-standing financial support mechanisms-such as subsidies, loans and stock financing-by focusing on blockchain-native models with a strong ‘French footprint’.
Defi, turning off, tokenization, layer 1–3 protocols, AI-driven tools and digital ID solutions are one of them.
It represents one of the first movements of a large state bank to buy open-market crypto-tokens-a ‘groundbreaking initiative’, as Bpifrance expressed it.
Bpifrance will specifically focus on “smaller, newly published tokens” of French projects ashes that still have to be mentioned on trade fairs.
“The US really speeds up its own crypto strategy, so this is all the more important,” said Caudoux as quoted in a Reuters reportwho notes the American crypto-push under President Donald Trump as a wake-up call.
Since his re -election, Trump has promised to make the US de ‘undisputed Bitcoin -SUPERKRACHT” floating plans To reclaim Bitcoin in his own country, and the nation promised to make the ‘crypto capital’ of the world.
The Pro-Crypto President’s Administration has also rolled back sec maintaining Against Crypto companiesPull blockchain talent and capital to the US at a time when Europe stays careful.
In response to developments in the US, the initiative of BPifrance Blockchain talent in France wants to keep and cherish.
Bpifrance is no stranger to Crypto -it first backed with hardware wallet -Grootboek in 2014 and has since invested in Aleeph.im, Morpho, Acinq and others.
In an interview with 2023 with DecryptBpifrance’s Blockchain & Crypto Lead Ivan de Lastours said the bank was too explore Zero knowledge certificatesThe notice of their potential to verify authenticity in a world that is dominated by AI-generated content.
“They can be the key to the future of the internet,” said the Lastours.
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The broader crypto momentum of France received another boost this week when the blockchain group, a technology company on Euronext Paris, announced in France Bought 580 BTCworth around $ 50.6 million.
Although such initiatives show a proactive approach to Web3 innovation in France, it comes at a time when the regulatory authorities of the country intensify the control of the crypto sector.
In January, French authorities launched A judicial investigation into Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, about accusations of money laundering and tax fraud.
The probe focused on activities between 2019 and 2024, with potential violations in France and the European Union.
In November 2024, the French gambling regulator, Anj, Polymarket began to investigate, a crypto-based prediction market platform, to assess his compliance with French gambling laws.
The probe was activated after a French trader reportedly placed a bet of several millions of dollars on the outcome of the US presidential election, give rise to polymarket to cut off access For users in France, it effectively closes an important segment of its audience.
Published by Sebastian Sinclair
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