“Landmark” £443m investment to boost Europe’s blockchain and Web3 sectors

Ayre Group has finalised agreements to take a controlling interest in nChain, the global leader in blockchain and Web3 technology, in a €516m (approx. £443m) deal that will provide a “huge boost” to the blockchain and Web3 sectors. 

As Forbes recently observed, London based nChain’s patents “affect everything from the US$1 trillion cryptocurrency market to corporate implementations built by some of the largest companies in the world.” 

The deal, believed to be the single largest enterprise blockchain IP investment to date, will see Ayre Group invest up to a total of CHF 500 million (€516m/£443m). The sum consists of an equity acquisition of nChain by the Ayre Group, an IP licensing deal for Ayre Ventures portfolio companies, and a line of credit. 

To date, nChain has been awarded nearly 800 technology patents with over 3,000 more presently awaiting approval, a wide-ranging intellectual property library representing the fundamental building blocks on which these next-generation internet products and services will be built.

nChain has a ‘heavyweight’ R&D team dedicated to turning its vast IP library into workable applications. nChain was included in the LexisNexis Innovation Momentum 2023: The Global Top 100 report of companies advancing innovative solutions to today’s challenges and laying the IP foundations for further breakthroughs. 

Ayre Group founder Calvin Ayre commented: “For the better part of a decade, nChain and its London-based Chief Scientist Dr. Craig Wright have been quietly amassing a patent portfolio of unparalleled scope, literally the foundational elements of enterprise blockchain, AI and Web3.

“My goal is to accelerate the pace of nChain’s development and increase the commercial adoption of its extensive IP library. Ayre is a vocal supporter of the BSV Blockchain but says nChain’s patents are blockchain-agnostic.

“There isn’t a single blockchain or Web3 project out there that isn’t standing on the shoulders of nChain’s patent library, the earliest, largest, and highest quality collection in this space.”  

Stefan Matthews, nChain’s co-founder and executive chairman, added: “Calvin has been a strong advocate for nChain over the years. His decision to take a greater equity position in the nChain Group signifies his confidence in our business model and the value that we hold in our patent portfolio, software development and consulting services.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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