Bitcoin & blockchain investment surges to $290m in first half of 2016

Investment in bitcoin and blockchain related companies is surging, with a new study published Tuesday finally putting a figure to the investment boom.
According to Juniper Research, venture capital investment into bitcoin and blockchain companies came in at $290 million for the first six months of the calendar year, with over 30 startups receiving funding during that period.
Of the total figure three companies account for more nearly half of all investments: Circle Internet Financial, Inc. which raised$60 million Series D in June as part of its push into China; Blockstream, which raised $55 million Series A in February; and Digital Asset Holdings LLC, which raised $52 million in January.
The study noted that there is an increasing diversification in blockchain deployments across a broad spectrum of uses, however its use in fintech applications in banking sector led the pack, with a number of firms currently trialing solutions.

This post was published at Silicon Angle on Aug 17, 2016.