Vested Finance, an investment platform that enables Indian investors to invest in the US stock market, has added cryptocurrency-backed securities offered by Grayscale Investments to its premium offerings on the platform.

By investing in the securities offered by Grayscale, Indian investors can gain exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto assets indirectly without having to buy any cryptocurrency directly. 

Investing through this route comes under capital gains similar to investing in US equities and is not subject to 30 per cent tax on crypto gains and 1 per cent TDS on each transaction as introduced in Budget 2022, according to Vested Finance. 

Viram Shah, Co-Founder & CEO of Vested Finance, said, “Through Grayscale, investors can get exposure to crypto by investing in a stock and at the same time not be subjected to high taxation. Also, they need not worry about the safety of their crypto holdings.”

$40-billion AUM

Grayscale is a digital currency asset manager with $40 billion Assets Under Management (AUM) as of April 2022. Grayscale securities are traded in the over-the-counter (OTC) markets. Through Vested, Indian investors can invest in various Grayscale securities such as Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE), Grayscale Litecoin Trust (LTCN), Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (ETCG) and Grayscale Bitcoin Cash Trust (BCHG). 

Investors also have the option to invest in the Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund (GDLC) if they want to invest in a basket of large-cap digital assets through a single fund. While about 90 per cent of the fund currently is invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum, it also has exposure to Litecoin, Solana, Cardano, Avalanche, and other coins.

Published on June 9, 2022