Back in April, rumors surfaced regarding a potential sale of popular Luxembourg-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp to gaming company Nexon. At the time, Nexon refuted the claims claiming the company did not have any plans “to link cryptocurrencies with our game business.” The statement may be true, that Nexon has no interest in linking crypto to their gaming business, however, the rumor has turned out to be accurate, and Bitstamp was indeed acquired by the parent company of Nexon.

Bitstamp has officially been acquired by NXMH, a Belgian-based investment firm under the umbrella of South Korean corporate giant NXC, which is the parent company of gaming firm Nexon – the company initially at the center of the Bitstamp acquisition rumors.

According to the deal, Bitstamp will continue to operate independently under current CEO Nejc Kodrič, who retains a minority stake in the cryptocurrency exchange. Original Bitstamp investor Pantera Capital will also retain their 6 percent ownership stake.

Kodrič says that Bitstamp customers won’t notice any initial changes, and the exchange will stick to its currently laid out roadmap, suggesting that NXMH and NXC will be hands-off with the exchange. At least for the time being.

"We realized very early on that our outlook for the crypto industry is very much aligned with them," Kodrič explained. "They've given us a lot of confidence that our execution will proceed … They understand the industry.”

NXMH investment manager Hendrik Ghys says they see Bistamp as a “strategic, long-term investment,” adding that “Bitstamp is one of the oldest and most-respected cryptocurrency exchanges and we see positive growth potential as the industry continues to evolve.”

NXC, the parent company of NXMH and Nexon, also owns South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Korbit, which is also acquired for roughly $80 million back in September of 2017.