VanEck has launched a $30 million fund named VanEck Ventures, aimed at investing in fintech, cryptocurrency, and AI startups.

VanEck Ventures plans to make between 25 to 35 investments, with individual funding ranging from $500,000 to $1 million.

CEO Jan van Eck emphasized the company's history of recognizing investment potential, comparing it to their early investment in gold and current focus on Bitcoin.

The fund will focus on transformative areas such as tokenized assets, stablecoins, and next-generation payment systems.

The fund will primarily target seed-stage and pre-seed fintech companies, particularly those innovating in payment systems and stablecoin solutions.

Lopez believes stablecoins could significantly transform the $39 trillion business-to-business cross-border payments market over the next five years.

This announcement significantly expands VanEck's investment strategy beyond their current spot Bitcoin ETF products.

VanEck Ventures has already made investments in four unnamed startups, demonstrating its commitment to supporting projects with financial and strategic potential.

The fund is led by seasoned investors Wyatt Lonergan and Juan Lopez, who previously managed Circle Ventures and invested over $50 million in early-stage companies.

VanEck has a history of capitalizing on emerging investment opportunities, being an early supporter of Bitcoin and the first to file for a Bitcoin-linked ETF.

The venture into crypto VC comes amid a broader fundraising surge in the crypto space, with over $2.2 billion raised by crypto venture firms as of August 2023.

In 2024, total AI venture capital funding has reached a record $53 billion, reflecting a 35% increase over the previous year.