Strategic Expansion into New Verticals
Animoca Brands, a prominent Web3 gaming giant, is charting a course for significant expansion beyond its core gaming focus in the upcoming year. The company, which currently boasts a diverse portfolio of approximately 600 companies, intends to broaden its investments across multiple sectors. These key areas include artificial intelligence (AI), Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN), Decentralized Finance (DeFi), games, and stablecoins.
Keyvan Peymani, the firm's chief strategy officer, articulated this vision during a CNBC interview, emphasizing the company's commitment to continuously assessing and participating in the evolving ecosystem. He highlighted that while gaming remains the largest segment within Animoca Brands' extensive investment portfolio, with 230 out of 628 companies dedicated to gaming, the company is actively seeking new avenues for growth and influence.
Historical Success and Future Ambitions
Since its inception in 2014, Animoca Brands has established a strong track record through strategic investments in influential gaming projects such as Axie Infinity, CryptoKitties, Colossal, and Yield Guild Games. The company's strategic outlook now encompasses a growing emphasis on infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and decentralized finance. Peymani explained that Animoca Brands aims to be a market leader in emerging and exciting areas, citing stablecoins and Real World Assets (RWAs) as prime examples of such opportunities.
Animoca Brands aspires to serve as a conduit for the broader retail sector to capitalize on the transformative changes occurring within the Web3 ecosystem. This ambition aligns with the views of Animoca founder Yat Siu, who recently stated that institutional participation will be crucial for the next phase of growth in the crypto industry, extending beyond just Bitcoin.
Institutional Adoption and Regulatory Landscape
Siu elaborated that institutional involvement will likely be driven by utility rather than solely by Bitcoin exposure. This perspective is influenced by evolving market structures, including the recent draft of a crypto market structure bill released by U.S. lawmakers on November 11. This bill aims to define the regulatory responsibilities of various agencies concerning cryptocurrencies, with the Senate slated to vote on it in December.
Enduring Commitment to Gaming
Despite the strategic diversification into new verticals, Peymani reaffirmed that gaming remains a paramount priority for Animoca Brands. The company maintains a strong conviction in the future of gaming and the potential for players to derive tangible benefits from their time, effort, and financial contributions within these virtual worlds. These benefits include the acquisition of assets that possess value and longevity beyond the confines of the Web3 space.
Venture Funding Trends
Recent reports indicate a significant upswing in crypto venture funding. The third quarter of 2025 witnessed a substantial 290% quarter-on-quarter increase, reaching $4.8 billion in investments. This marks the strongest quarter for crypto venture funding since the first quarter, according to a report by Galaxy Digital.
Path to Public Markets
Established companies within the cryptocurrency sector, particularly those founded in 2018, have been the primary recipients of this surge in capital. In line with its growth trajectory, Animoca Brands is reportedly planning to go public on the Nasdaq next year through a reverse merger with Currenc Group, a fintech company specializing in AI.