Animoca Brands Pauses Currenc Reverse Merger
Animoca Brands and Nasdaq-listed Currenc Group have mutually suspended their proposed reverse merger, initially announced on 3 November 2025. The companies cited changing market conditions and the expected completion timeline. Animoca said the deal no longer fits its short- and medium-term strategic priorities, although talks could resume if conditions improve.
Under the original proposal, Currenc would have acquired Animoca Brands, with Animoca shareholders owning about 95% of the combined company. The pause removes a near-term public-listing catalyst for Animoca Brands and related Web3 projects, including The Sandbox, Moca Network and Open Campus.
Animoca Brands said its longer-term listing plans remain intact. It is completing financial compliance, corporate governance work and its audited fiscal 2024 accounts. The company released audited fiscal 2023 results on 17 July 2026. These filings are important milestones towards a future major-exchange listing.
The decision follows similar delays by crypto companies including Payward, Ledger and Grayscale. Animoca executive chairman Yat Siu said the company would prioritise operational flexibility and compliance milestones. Its broader Web3 and digital-asset strategy remains active, including participation in Hong Kong’s regulated stablecoin market through Anchorpoint Financial, a joint venture with Standard Chartered Hong Kong and HKT. Anchorpoint received a Hong Kong Monetary Authority licence in April 2026 and began an institutional rollout of the Hong Kong dollar-backed HKDAP stablecoin in August.
Neutral
The immediate price impact is neutral because Animoca Brands is not itself a publicly traded cryptocurrency, and the transaction does not directly change the supply, utility or demand of a major token. The suspended reverse merger removes a potential short-term catalyst for related Web3 assets such as SAND, MOCA and EDU, which could limit speculative buying and cause temporary weakness in associated ecosystem tokens.
However, the decision is not a cancellation of Animoca Brands’ listing ambitions. Continued audit, compliance and governance work provides a longer-term pathway to a public-market listing. Its stablecoin activities through Anchorpoint Financial also remain active, reducing the likelihood of a major strategic shock. Traders may therefore treat the news as neutral overall, while monitoring liquidity, token-specific catalysts and any renewed merger or IPO discussions.