Investing.com - Cryptocurrencies have risen over the last seven days, as tennis player Serena Williams (NYSE:WMB) announced her investment company has invested in digital platform Coinbase.
The four-time Olympic gold medal winner announced on Instagram that her investment company, Serena Ventures, has invested in over 30 companies, including Coinbase.
Launched in 2014, “Serena Ventures invests in companies that embrace diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity and opportunity,” Williams said via Instagram. The company has a market cap of $12 billion, according to its website.
Cryptocurrencies overall have surged over the last week, as interest in the sector grows. The industry as a whole was at $185 billion at the time of writing, from $173 billion a week earlier.
Bitcoin rose 9.7% over the week to $5,524.30, on the Investing.com Index. Ethereum gained 8.2% to $174.88 and XRP climbed 2% to $0.32588 while Litecoin was up 0.1% to $78.306.
Meanwhile, South Koreans who invested in digital currencies in 2018 set aside an average of $6,000, with those who already owned virtual coins buying even more according to a survey by the Korea Financial Investors Protection Foundation.
The foundation’s survey revealed that 7.4% of the 2,500 respondents have bought cryptocurrency. Compared to the results of its 2017 survey, the average amount invested was up 67%, indicating that despite last year’s volatility, South Koreans are in it for the long term.
In other news, Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Zaif is set to resume operations just seven months after it lost $60 million in a hack.
The exchange said Monday it has signed over its business from former parent company Tech Bureau to the listed Japanese investment firm Fisco Digital Asset Group.