Robo-Advisor Betterment Partners With Crypto Exchange Gemini to Offer Customized Crypto Portfolios

Investment robo-advisor Betterment has partnered with crypto exchange Gemini to launch a crypto investing portfolio service for its customers.

The partnership will allow Betterment's 730,000 customers to access customized crypto investment plans based on their risk profiles and interests, starting next month. The curated crypto portfolios will be constructed from digital assets listed on Gemini, with the exchange serving as the custodian for the cryptocurrencies.

Marshall Beard, chief strategy officer at Gemini, said the service will help interested investors participate in the cryptocurrency market, where education about what cryptocurrencies are and how to invest in them is scarce.

"Betterment is providing its users [with] education and access in a sophisticated way to allow them to access this crypto ecosystem without having to do it themselves," Beard told CoinDesk. "It's breaking down that barrier of education because crypto is hard to engage with on your own."

Jesse Proudman, vice-president of crypto investing at Betterment, said the tailored portfolio offering is geared toward investors looking to make longer-term investments in crypto.

"By taking the burden of asset selection and the management of those assets off of clients, we allow people to step back and understand that they're investing in a sort of long-term portfolio here," Proudman told CoinDesk, adding, "This is not a get-rich-quick scheme."

Betterment's partnership with Gemini comes as the advisor gears up to launch its own cryptocurrency investment offering. In February, Betterment, acquired cryptocurrency robo-advisor startup Makara to facilitate the product launch.

The collaboration also comes as Gemini ramps up its efforts to forge agreements with various investment firms to serve as a custodian for their crypto funds. In August, Gemini announced it would further its partnership with Australian fund manager Holon Global Investments, serving as a custodian for three of the firm's crypto funds.

Read More: SEC-Registered Crypto Robo-Advisor Makara Launches