JPMorgan Asset Management has committed up to $500 million to Numerai, an artificial intelligence hedge fund that also operates its own cryptocurrency token.
The fresh allocation will be deployed over the next year and could more than double Numerai’s current $450 million in assets under management.
Numerai confirmed the investment on Tuesday, noting that returns will be tied to its crowdsourced trading models built by thousands of data scientists worldwide. Founded in San Francisco in 2015, the fund describes itself as an “AI hedge fund built by a network of data scientists.”
Strong Track Record Draws Institutional Backing
The fund has experienced rapid growth over the past three years, scaling from $60 million to $450 million in managed assets. In 2024, Numerai delivered a net return above 25% by combining crowdsourcing, artificial intelligence, and quantitative strategies.
This performance has drawn attention from leading investors, including hedge fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones. JPMorgan’s commitment signals mounting institutional confidence in alternative data-driven hedge fund models.
Numeraire (NMR) Token Surges on JPMorgan Deal
Numerai operates its own cryptocurrency called Numeraire (NMR), which launched in 2017 to incentivize participation in its prediction network. Following the JPMorgan announcement, NMR surged 38% to $11.40, while trading volumes spiked by more than 880%, according to CoinMarketCap.
The price rally builds on Numerai’s July move to repurchase $1 million worth of NMR tokens. The surge underscores investor enthusiasm for the token’s role in bridging AI, blockchain, and institutional finance.
Expanding AI-Crypto Integration
JPMorgan did not comment directly on the deal, but the bank has steadily expanded its digital assets footprint. It has partnered with Coinbase to facilitate crypto purchases and is reportedly exploring stablecoin issuance and crypto-backed lending services.
The Numerai partnership reflects a broader convergence of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency technologies in finance. Bitcoin mining companies such as Hive Digital, Hut 8, TeraWulf, and IREN are also reallocating resources toward AI and high-performance computing workloads.
Numerai is ramping up hiring to meet the expanded opportunity created by JPMorgan’s backing. Recent hires include an AI researcher from Meta and a trading engineer from Voleon, signaling a push to strengthen its technical capabilities.
As institutional capital flows into AI-crypto hybrids, Numerai stands at the frontier of a rapidly evolving financial landscape. The fund’s model highlights how crowdsourced intelligence and blockchain incentives can reshape traditional hedge fund investing.
