Animoca acquires majority stake in Bondly

https://www.animocabrands.com/animoca-brands-to-acquire-majority-stake-in-bondly

Animoca Brands to acquire majority stake in BondlyBondly's technology, launchpad, and NFT bridge to be integrated into Animoca Brands’ game productsNew York, NY, and Hong Kong, 17 September 2021 – Animoca Brands, the company driving digital property rights via NFTs, today announced it has entered into a binding agreement to acquire a majority stake in Bondly, the premiere NFT solutions provider empowering the next generation of NFT creators. Animoca Brands does not deem the acquisition to be material.The strategic investment in Bondly will position both companies to drive mass NFT adoption across Animoca Brands’ portfolio companies operating in gaming, sports, entertainment, collectibles, and other areas. Bondly’s proven technology -- including NFT swap protocol, marketplace, and cross-chain NFT minting and bridges -- will enable gamers to easily move NFT assets from one blockchain to another. Yat Siu, the co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, commented: “Bondly has developed powerful tools to help onboard brands and individuals to the world of NFTs, and has built valuable relationships with many leading brands and artists. These products and relationships will be of great assistance to Animoca Brands and our portfolio companies, including the Launchpad Luna accelerator, as we drive the shift to the true digital ownership model made possible by NFTs.” With a broad portfolio of more than 100 investments in some of the world’s most meaningful NFT-related companies, including OpenSea and Dapper Labs, Animoca Brands has emerged as a major force in the world of blockchain and gaming. The company raised $138.88 million earlier this year to bring its valuation to $1.139 billion on the strength of its plan to deliver digital property rights to gamers via NFTs. This focus on NFTs synergizes well with Bondly’s vision to introduce NFT owners to the opportunities presented by DeFi ecosystems. “Joining forces with Animoca Brands is a game-changing strategic alignment that will propel GameFi to the next level,” said Harry Liu, co-founder and CEO of Bondly Finance. “As a pioneer in the NFT space, we will bring our extensive know-how in delivering high-quality, high-utility NFT experiences to the Animoca Brands portfolio companies.” Bondly was the first company to go to market with unique products in partnership with influencers and musicians and collaborations with gaming/collectibles creators. Bondly created and distributed YouTuber/Influencer Logan Paul’s first-ever limited-edition series of NFT collectibles for fans, selling out in only 30-minutes. Lewis Capaldi, two-time BRIT Award Winner with 15 Billion streams and chart-topping hits worldwide, partnered with Bondly and quickly sold out his Big Fat Sexy Card Collection NFTs, with the vast majority purchased by a non-crypto audience. Singer/songwriter PelleK quickly sold out the first-ever NFT music album using Bondly’s core product BONDSwap. Bondly is led by co-founder and CEO Harry Liu and COO Rob Tran, both technology veterans with a combined 30 years of experience in blockchain, SaaS, AI, and eCommerce sectors, among others. Brandon Smith took a voluntary leave of absence on July 16, 2021 and is no longer associated with Bondly.