Three Arrow's Su Zhu on the race to build a crypto prime broker

Last week, saw a deluge of prime brokerage news, capped off by Coinbase's announcement of its acquisition of crypto broker Tagomi.

After months of rumors surrounding the two-year-old firm, the deal became one of Coinbase's biggest acquisitions in a move to fill out its institutional business of trading and custody services. 

With the deal inked, Coinbase is one step closer to becoming a full-scale prime broker.

This week's episode features Su Zhu, crypto investor, market commentator and founder of crypto investing firm Three Arrows Capital — an early client of Tagomi. 

Zhu unpacked his thoughts on the recent deal, touching on some pain points, including the importance of neutrality in the prime brokerage world. The Coinbase deal leaves room for possible conflicts of interest, according to Zhu. 

The episode also explores:

• Why Tagomi's neutrality as a prime broker could be questioned under Coinbase's ownership
• The headwinds and tailwinds facing DCG's Genesis Trading and BitGo as they build out similar offerings
• The type of trading strategies and opportunities a full-scale prime broker open up for crypto investors like Three Arrows
• The reasons why Tether dominates Asian liquidity and doesn't have to worry about rivals taking its crown
• How Binance messed up delisting FTX's leverage product, and how it speaks to a broader existential issue at the exchange

This episode of The Scoop is brought to you by Bitstamp, the original global cryptocurrency exchange. Since 2011, Bitstamp has been a cornerstone of the industry, earning the trust of over four million individuals and top financial institutions looking for a reliable trading venue. Whether you’re trading on our web platform, mobile app or industry-leading APIs, Bitstamp gives you the professional-grade tools you need to execute your strategy. Download the Bitstamp app or visit Bitstamp.net/Pro to learn more and start trading today!