As the cryptocurrency has expanded, the number of hedge funds dedicated to the burgeoning asset class has boomed as well. Expect that theme to continue even as U.S. regulators are expected to increase scrutiny on crypto hedge funds.

“Already there have been 34 new crypto fund launches this year, putting 2018 on pace to meet or exceed the record 107 launches in 2017,” according to Crypto Fund Research.

The research firm notes there are more than 260 dedicated crypto hedge funds currently in business.

“The United States was home to more crypto fund launches in 2017 than any other country. This is not terribly surprising and is consistent with the US leading the world in terms of hedge funds and venture capital generally. However, there were also a number of new crypto funds launched in the United Kingdom as well as Singapore. The Middle East also had its first crypto fund launch,” according to Crypto Fund Resarch.

A Small Percentage

While crypto hedge funds are growing in terms of population, many do not have more than $5 billion in assets under management, a figure that is small by hedge fund industry standards. Today, hedge funds dedicated to alt-coins and digital assets represent a paltry percentage of industry assets.

“While accounting for 14 per cent of new hedge fund launches may not seem like much, consider that crypto funds have less than 0.1% of total hedge funds assets,” reports Hedge Week.

However, there are some positive points, including the overall growth of crypto hedge funds and their impressive 2017 performances.

“In fact, crypto hedge funds are the fastest growing segment of the hedge fund industry. In addition, several of the top performing hedge funds in 2017 were cryptocurrency funds,” notes Crypto Fund Research.