Crypto Exchange Coincheck to Go Public with a $1.25B SPAC Deal

Monex Group will continue to be the largest shareholder of the merged entity.

Gary Simanson will become the CEO of the combined entity.

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Both the companies have entered into a definitive agreement for the deal that is valued at around $1.25 billion. The merger is expected to be closed in the second half of 2022, resulting in the listing of the combined entity on Nasdaq.

Coincheck is a regulated Japanese crypto exchange offering a wide range of services within the digital asset industry. It was bought by the Monex Group in 2018 after the exchange was hacked and struggling with the operations.

Under the new owner, the exchange became one of the largest Japanese crypto exchanges again. It has around 1.5 million verified customers and has handled $130 million worth of trades in the last 24 hours, according to Coinmarketcap.com.

“We at Monex have always pursued new opportunities and global expansion. As the digital economic sphere becomes ever-flatter worldwide, it is an inevitable goal for us to develop the origination and exchange of digital assets,” said Oki Matsumoto, the CEO of Monex Group and the Executive Director of Coincheck.

New Leadership

As per the terms of the deal, Thunder Bridge will provide $237 million in cash to the combined entity. And, Thunder Bridges President and CEO, Gary Simanson will become the CEO of the merged entity.

“The Thunder Bridge team is well known for its deep knowledge and experience working in the financial services industry, as well as investing in fintech and other highly disruptive technologies,” said Simanson.

Monex Group currently holds 94.2 percent of Coincheck. After the closure of the merger, it will continue to hold the majority shares with around 82 percent of the new entity.

Meanwhile, American trading platform TradeStation, another Monex subsidiary, is going public with a similar blank-check company merger.