Tracker Certificates on Crypto Currencies

The exchange-listed, open-end tracker certificate on Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple and Litecoin has given investors an investment instrument that offers them almost 100% participation in the price of the respective crypto currency in USD without needing access to a crypto currency platform with their own virtual wallet. On top of this, the usual investment process can be maintained, and investors do not bear the risk of losing the crypto currency due to hacking. Thanks to the tracker certificate’s unlimited term, investors can essentially set their own investment horizon. As the issuer of the investment product, Vontobel is also responsible for handling any IT administration necessary in the event of a hard fork.






Bitcoin

The now legendary white paper “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” by a certain Satoshi Nakamoto created a big stir on the Internet back in February 2009.  It marked the birth of the cryptocurrency bitcoin, which embodies the idea of an independent payment system.  

A blog article posted by Nakamoto attracted considerable attention. In it he wrote: “The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that's required to make it work. The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust. (…) With e-currency based on cryptographic proof, without the need to trust a third party middleman, money can be secure and transactions effortless.” (Source: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com, 11.02.2009).

 



Ether

Ether is not a currency issued by a state or government but a virtual currency in the form of a so-called payment token within the Ethereum network. Ethereum is a distributed system in the field of financial technology, which offers the creation, management and execution of decentralized programs or contracts (so-called Smart Contracts) in its own blockchain infrastructure.  

Ether is an integral part of Ethereum's blockchain infrastructure. Ether exists only virtually on a computer network and has no physical counter value. Ether trading is decentralized in the Internet and does not need to be handled through intermediaries such as a state, central banks or commercial banks. 

 



Ripple

Like Bitcoin, Ripple (XRP) is based on blockchain technology. Unlike Bitcoin, however, Ripple is not a pure crypto currency, but a payment token - the currency - within the Ripple network. With a current market capitalization of over USD 17 billion, Ripple is the third largest crypto currency in terms of market capitalization after Bitcoin and Ether.

The vision of Ripple's founders is to connect the world's financial systems, make payment transactions more cost-efficient and faster, and enable the secure transfer of assets in real time.

 



Litecoin

Litecoin (symbol: Ł or LTC) is a digital currency that enables peer-to-peer money transfers in real time and almost free of charge. It is a worldwide and decentralized open source payment network without a central authority with many similarities to Bitcoin.

Litecoin was introduced in 2011 and it is the oldest crypto currency after Bitcoin. Compared to its "big brother" Bitcoin, Litecoin offers faster transaction times (2.5 minutes compared to 10 minutes in the Bitcoin network) and improved storage capacity. It is therefore the perfect supplement to the most popular crypto currency.