Singapore Bitcoin ATM Producer Tembusu Gets $300k Seed Funding

Singapore bitcoin ATM producer Tembusu has been valued at S$5.1m and secured S$300,000 in seed funding just after launching.

AccessTimeIconMar 12, 2014 at 1:03 a.m. UTC
Updated Sep 11, 2021 at 10:31 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Singapore bitcoin ATM producer Tembusu announced today it has closed its seed funding round and raised over S$300,000 (US$236,600), just one and a half weeks after launching its first machine and after the company itself was valued at S$5.1m (US$4.02m).

Company spokesman Jarrod Luo said the extra capital would form the bulk of the working capital the startup requires to "fulfill its outstanding machine orders in a timely fashion", including stockpiling raw materials and expanding its team.

Tembusu was the first company to open a bitcoin ATM in Singapore, and it is also the first to design and manufacture its machines there. It is also Asia's first home-grown bitcoin ATM producer, having just beaten South Korea's Coinplug to launch by a couple of days.

At press time Singapore has six active bitcoin ATMs, with several companies racing to increase that number. Another Singapore company, Bitcoin Exchange, launched a Lamassu ATM in a busy Singapore shopping mall right after Tembusu's release.

, another local company that specializes in micro-transaction processing and prepaid mobile phone payments, launched four bitcoin-dispensing machines in the same week.

Features

The Tembusu machines feature advanced physical Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-theft measures such as ID and thumbprint scanning, and the company says it offers a variety of additional anti-money laundering (AML) features in its machines depending on the jurisdiction where each is located.

The ATMs are one-way only, meaning customers may only exchange cash for bitcoins, but apparently can be adapted to dispense cash. They also have the capacity to dispense other cryptocurrencies if the demand is there.

Tembusu1
Tembusu1

The company says customizability and flexibility are two of its key selling points, allowing machines to be shipped anywhere in the world.

Tembusu also offers flexibility with its pricing and financing options, saying it is even possible, under certain conditions, to deploy a machine for no down payment at all.

Regulation and tax

Bitcoin startups and bitcoin ATMs have been allowed to flourish in Singapore thanks to the city-state government's liberal attitude towards cryptocurrency so far. An announcement on 21st February by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said bitcoins are not viewed as legal tender by his ministry or regulators the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

He also warned this hands-off approach extended to consumer protection, of which there is none, and that the government would continue to investigate any need for regulation.

MAS regards bitcoin ATMs as 'vending machines' as long as they are cash-to-bitcoin only.

Singapore's Tax Authority, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, has also issued its own guidelines on how it intends to tax bitcoin business and transactions, basically saying it regards cryptocurrencies not as money but as goods for sale like any other. 'Sales' of bitcoin and bitcoin transactions for other goods and services will be subject to GST, and Singapore does not have a capital gains tax for any investment class.

About Tembusu

. is a joint-venture between cryptocurrency consultancy firm Estates General and software/hardware development firm Red Steed Studios, who together are looking for technological solutions to known bitcoin challenges, and new ways to introduce cryptocurrency use to the general public.

Singapore cash image via Shutterstock

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.