Swiss-Singaporean banking group Sygnum and Starboard Digital secured 750 BTC ($65M) in seed funding for their actively managed Bitcoin yield fund, delivering 8.9% annualized returns despite market volatility.
Sygnum, a digital asset banking group based in Switzerland and Singapore, and Starboard Digital have successfully raised a reported 750 Bitcoin BTC $84 021 24h volatility: 5.7% Market cap: $1.68 T Vol. 24h: $66.35 B worth approximately $65 million in seed funding after launching the Starboard Sygnum BTC Alpha Fund.
The Starboard Sygnum BTC Alpha Fund is an actively managed, yield-generating Bitcoin fund that was launched on Oct. 22, 2025. According to a Jan. 29 press release, it reached an annualized 8.9% net return in BTC for Q4 2025.
📣 News: Sygnum and Starboard Digital raise over 750 BTC for BTC Alpha Fund
▪️ Over 750 BTC raised from professional investors in first four months, validating institutional demand for yield-generating Bitcoin strategies
▪️ First regulated bank globally to offer market-neutral… pic.twitter.com/1PTHym83RW— Sygnum Bank (@sygnumofficial) January 29, 2026
Starboard Digital founder Nikolas Skarlatos, in a statement, described the fund’s success as a validation of institutional-grade Bitcoin yield strategies and targets of 8%-10% annual returns across market conditions. Sygnum Head of Portfolio Management Markus Hämmerli echoed that sentiment, saying the performance demonstrated that “professional Bitcoin management can deliver meaningful results even when spot markets are flat or declining.”
Delta-neutral BTC arbitrage trading
The fund’s stated goal is to achieve between 8 and 10 percent growth through market-neutral arbitrage trading with payouts in Bitcoin. This strategy is often referred to as “delta-neutral” as it exploits both the difference between spot and derivatives market.
With the Starboard Sygnum BTC Alpha Fund, the profits generated from these arbitrage trades are converted back into Bitcoin. This allows the investor’s total BTC balance to grow over time whether Bitcoin is up, down, or neutral.
Sygnum also says that fund shares are eligible as collateral for Lombard loans, which allows investors to access liquidity without reducing their Bitcoin exposure.
The early success of the Alpha fund through Q4 2025 demonstrates the potential for Sygnum and Starboard’s strategy to provide a bulwark against market fluctuations. The fourth quarter saw the price of Bitcoin fall from well over $100,000 to below $90,000. As of the time of this article’s publication BTC is trading at approximately $84,000.
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