Digital asset management platform, Fireblocks, has now incorporated Astar Network, Japan’s leading blockchain, marking an expansion in the company’s secure services for institutional investors. With the new integration, over 650 banks and financial institutions can now tap into Astar’s thriving DeFi ecosystem, as well as trade, swap, and lend digital assets on Astar via Fireblocks.
Astar Network has rapidly become a preferred choice in Japan owing to its support for the popular Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) environment, as well as the addition of WebAssembly (WASM), transforming it into a multi-chain platform supporting interoperable applications.
Fireblocks, well-known for its commitment to security, has managed to have its digital asset infrastructure system certified by the Cryptocurrency Certification Consortium (C4), making it the first service provider to receive such recognition. Its multi-party computation (MPC) technology has won over traditional financial clients including BNY Mellon, ANZ Bank, and NAB, as well as Japanese trading platforms such as CoinTrade.
Stephen Richardson, Managing Director, Financial Markets and Head of APAC at Fireblocks, commented on the integration saying, “Fireblocks has always focused on facilitating institutional adoption in the digital assets industry. By leveraging our highly secure network and MPC-based wallet infrastructure, banks, exchanges, OTCs, and hedge funds can now seamlessly access Astar’s assets.”
The integration was celebrated at a special event during WebX in Tokyo, attended by more than 200 guests, including executives of global enterprises, web3 founders, and venture capitalists. The attendees gained valuable insights into the application of web3 technology in the corporate sphere, and the growing role enterprises play in web3, particularly in Japan, where the government is progressively exploring ways to utilize web3 technology.
Maarten Henskens, CEO of Astar Foundation, emphasized the impact of the integration stating, “We’re looking forward to leveraging this integration to enhance adoption while giving institutions looking to build on Astar a secure and robust way to safeguard their digital assets.”
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