Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s Crypto Valley Sees Thriving Blockchain Ecosystem

With 750 companies as of the end of December 2018,
Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s Crypto Valley has grown significantly in the
past year with 121 new companies being established or a growth of 20% in the number
of crypto companies, according to The Crypto Valley’s Top 50 Q1
2019 report released in January.

The study, produced by investment company CV VC in
collaboration with PwC Strategy & and IT partner inacta, provides an
overview of the current state of Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s Crypto Valley,
highlighting the rapid growth of the ecosystem despite the industry’s “crypto
winter.”

“Crypto winter,” as 2018’s severe market reversal has been
nicknamed, has affected the valuation of blockchain companies, which saw the
market valuation of the 50 largest blockchain ventures in the region plunge
from US$44 billion to US$20 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018.

According to Mathias Ruch, founder and CEO of CV VC, the new
report clearly reflects the market correction that started in early 2018, which
is significantly based on cryptocurrencies. However, findings also show that
companies developing blockchain-based applications and infrastructure solutions
have been able to keep up, while an impressive number of new startups with
innovative use-cases have risen to the top.

Over half of blockchain companies (383) are based in the
canton of Zug, but the research notes that Crypto Valley extends to many other
Swiss cantons including Geneva, which is home to 42 blockchain companies and
Ticino, 39. Switzerland’s neighboring microstate of Liechtenstein registers 38
crypto companies.

On average, the top 50 companies are valued at US$400
million each and there are four blockchain unicorns present in the region: Bitmain, Cardano, Dfinity, and Ethereum,
according to the report.

The top 50 blockchain companies employ 480 people in
Switzerland and Liechtenstein and more than 3,300 people in total. Besides the
four unicorns, the top 50 crypto companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein
include Tezos, Xapo, Lisk,
Ambrosus
and Proxeus.

15 companies entered the top 50 in the fourth quarter of
2018 compared to CV VC’s previous quarter report including HDAC,
an Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform supported by Hyundai, ICON, a platform
that allows various blockchains to interact with each other via smart
contracts, and Santiment, a platform offering cryptocurrency data sets,
real-time market signals and industry insights.  

Dr. Daniel Diemers, blockchain leader, EMEA at PwC Strategy,
said:

“This high dynamic in the middle of the crypto winter is very positive. It shows that the appeal of Switzerland as one of the world’s most attractive locations for blockchain startups remains unbroken.”

The report also points out 15 crypto startups to keep an eye
on that have good chances to make it into the next top 50 list: ambrpay, Arca
Trust, Blockimmo, Cosmos Network, Datum, Friendz, Grain, Metaco, Orion Vault,
Pigzbe, PikcioChain, Qiibee, Request Network, Taurus Group and UTRUST.