Displaying items by tag: alts

Once viewed as a fringe asset, bitcoin is rapidly gaining traction with Fortune 500 firms, many of which are now embracing it as a legitimate component of corporate finance. Major players like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and GameStop have turned to convertible notes and other financing mechanisms to amass sizable bitcoin holdings, effectively using the asset as both a store of value and a treasury strategy. 

This shift has catalyzed the development of sophisticated instruments like structured notes—offering downside protection or leveraged upside—alongside Bitcoin-backed loans and custodial accounts with embedded yield features. While these tools may seem like responsible financial innovations, they walk a fine line between risk management and speculative engineering, especially as regulatory and accounting treatment remains murky. 

The entrance of mainstream institutions and the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs have brought new legitimacy, but corporate treasurers still face complex questions about liquidity, governance, and portfolio fit.

Finsum: Whether bitcoin serves as a smart hedge or a risky gamble depends on each company’s capital strategy, tolerance for volatility, and long-term vision.

Private credit has grown so large and intertwined with banks and insurers that it now poses a systemic risk in future financial crises, according to a new Moody’s Analytics study co-authored by economists and regulators. 

The report warns that the opaque nature of private credit and its deepening ties to traditional finance could amplify financial shocks due to increased interconnectedness. Since the 2008 crisis, banks have reduced lending amid tighter regulations, creating room for private credit funds—often lending to riskier, heavily indebted companies—to flourish with less oversight. 

Researchers used business development companies as a proxy for the sector and found their market behavior is now more correlated with broader financial stress than in the past. Although private credit firms argue they are less prone to panics due to their long-term investor base, banks are still deeply exposed through indirect relationships like fund financing and risk transfers. 

Finsum: While private markets tend to be insulated from recessions compared to their public counter parts it’s important to keep this risk in mind when investing

Despite recent political pushback, institutional support for ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investing remains strong, with many large investors continuing to prioritize sustainability. 

This is good news for ESG-focused ETFs like the Invesco ESG Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQMG) and the ESG Nasdaq Next Gen 100 ETF (QQJG), which could see more adoption as political resistance fades. A 2025 BNP Paribas survey found that 87% of institutional investors have not altered their ESG goals, and 84% expect sustainability progress to continue or accelerate through 2030. 

Furthermore, 85% of respondents said they now integrate sustainability criteria into their investment processes. However, challenges persist, including concerns about ESG data reliability, greenwashing, and balancing short-term performance with long-term sustainability. 

Finsum: ETFs that aim to address those concerns by tracking transparent, sustainability-aligned indexes with performance in line with their non-ESG benchmarks.

Interval funds, which offer limited liquidity and access to private markets, are gaining traction as investors seek alternatives to traditional ETFs and mutual funds. Asset managers like TCW, Blackstone, and Vanguard have launched new interval funds this year, bringing the total to 139 with about $100 billion in assets. 

These funds, which allow redemptions only at set intervals (typically quarterly), enable investments in less liquid assets like private credit. For example, TCW’s new fund focuses 80% on private asset-backed credit, illustrating the shift toward alternative income strategies. 

Meanwhile, attempts to bring private asset exposure to ETFs, such as the PRIV ETF, have struggled due to regulatory concerns over liquidity and naming.

Finsum: Advisors are increasingly allocating client portfolios to interval funds, favoring their higher yields despite reduced liquidity and higher fees.

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan believes the long-observed four-year cryptocurrency cycle may be breaking down, suggesting this cycle could be “bigger and last longer” than expected. Traditionally, crypto markets follow a rhythm of three bullish years followed by a correction, often tied to Bitcoin halving events or macroeconomic shifts. 

Hougan argues that despite recent regulatory headwinds, the foundational infrastructure—like stablecoins, DeFi, and tokenization—has quietly strengthened and is now poised to accelerate. He likens the industry to a “coiled spring,” ready to expand rapidly as regulatory barriers are lifted, especially under more crypto-friendly political leadership. 

While he acknowledges the potential for a correction driven by speculative excess, Hougan believes any downturns will be more muted and short-lived than in past cycles. 

Finsum: With maturing markets and a broader, more value-focused investor base, could 2026 bring another crypto winter—or simply the next phase of a longer growth era.