Crypto Researcher Says Investments Will Slow By Year-End, But There Are A Few Bright Spots

Accounting company KPMG believes that a decline in cryptocurrency investment will continue for the rest of the year after it fell to $14.2 billion in the first half of 2022 from a record $32.1 billion in the previous half.

In a study titled "Pulse of Fintech H1'22," KPMG said that out of 725 deals in the first half of this year, Germany-based crypto trading platform Trade Republic received the most investments ($1.1 billion); followed by Fireblocks, a platform for digital asset custody ($550 million); crypto exchange FTX ($500 million) and Ethereum ETH/USD blockchain software company ConsenSys ($450 million).

Various Factors Responsible for Impact of Upward Trajectory

The accounting firm stated the upward trajectory of fintech investment internationally was impacted by a number of variables during the first half of 2022, including geopolitical unpredictability, choppy public markets, persistent supply chain disruptions and issues such as high levels of inflation and rising interest rates.

“With no end in sight to the levels of uncertainty, fintech investment in H2’22 could be quite subdued,” KPMG added.

Certain Businesses Could Face Tough Times

KPMG stated that while investment remained extremely strong in comparison to performances prior to 2021, the second half of this year could bring further difficulties for businesses in the industry.

The company stated that this is especially relevant for retail businesses that sell coins, tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The report highlighted that despite the crypto market having significantly plummeted halfway through 2022 as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, rising inflation and the demise of the Terra ecosystem, investment at midyear remained considerably above every year prior to 2021.

“This highlights the growing maturity of the space and the breadth of technologies and solutions attracting investment,” KPMG noted.

Future of Crypto

KPMG anticipates that for the remainder of the year, investors will shift their attention to projects working on compliance and transaction traceability-related products as well as blockchain infrastructure projects, particularly those focusing on the use of blockchain in modernizing financial markets.

Stablecoins are also attracting more interest, according to the company, especially from corporations eager to benefit from cryptocurrency's operational advantages.

The capacity of certain crypto enterprises to endure the bear market will be "tested extremely hard as some attempt to recapitalize at reduced valuations," according to KPMG.

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