Bitdeer to go public via SPAC merger valuing the bitcoin mining company at $4 billion

• Bitdeer announced it is going public via a blank-check merger valued at $4 billion.
• The bitcoin mining firm plans to list on the Nasdaq after the deal closes in the first quarter of next year.

Bitcoin mining company Bitdeer on Thursday announced it is going public by merging with blank-check firm Blue Safari Group Acquisition in a deal valued at $4 billion.

The Singapore-based firm plans to list on the Nasdaq after the deal closes in the first quarter of next year. The combined company will be renamed Bitdeer Technologies Group.

Upon completion, founder and chair Jihan Wu will retain control of the firm. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of the two companies.

Bitdeer has been ramping up operations and currently runs five mining data centers in the US and Norway. The company also provides mining-related services.

It was spun off from Chinese bitcoin mining giant Bitmain in January after a long leadership tussle between Wu and Bitmain co-founder Micree Zhan.

Blue Safari Group went public in June, raising $57.5 million from its initial public offering. The merger announcement comes as bitcoin has seen volatile price swings in recent weeks, including a surge to a record high of $69,000 earlier this month.

SPACs, which are shell companies seeking to merge with private companies with the intention of taking them public, have exploded in popularity in the last year.

In 2020, a total of 248 SPACs raised $83.3 billion according to SPAC Analytics. But with a month more to go in 2021, data already show 548 SPACs have raised $148 billion, comprising 48% of initial public offerings.