West Coast Aquaculture (WCA), a company based in Australia, recently announced the completion of its initial public offering (IPO), which was mostly conducted using digital currency. The development today confirmed yet another use case for cryptocurrencies. In addition to serving as a means of payment and a store of value, digital currencies can be adopted to source funding from the public, especially from investors outside the country.
WCA Completes IPO Using Tether (USDT)
Per the announcement, the aquaculture company was assisted by STAX, a fintech company, to successfully conduct the funding. West Coast Aquaculture reportedly raised a total of AU$5 million (i.e., USD 3.65 million) through the IPO. The majority of the funding (about 89 percent) was conducted using the US dollar-backed stablecoin, Tether (USDT). So, the company basically raised about AU$4.4 million (USD 3.2 million) using cryptocurrency.
The remaining funds were conducted using Australian dollars, according to the report. To be precise, West Coast Aquaculture deals in fisheries, and it has already established a presence in the Asia Pacific. Through the funding, the company intends to expand its business operations as well as improving its supply chain. Interestingly, the development reportedly makes WCA the first Australian company to source funding using a digital currency.
“We are proud to be part of this historic moment in Australian investment history. […] We hope this bold initiative helps open the door to more global investment for local companies,” the CEO and founder of WCA, Neo Ching Hoe, commented.
Crypto Adoption in Australian Capital Market
In accordance with the words of Kenney Lee, the CEO of STAX, the successfully conducted crypto IPO can “pave the way for the future of capital markets in Australia.” STAX claimed it’s the first company that supports capital raising in both the Australian dollar and digital currencies. “We are allowing access to a market which has been hard for overseas investors to get into, and it will only benefit Australian businesses longer term,” the CEO added.