Cryptocurrencies are rapidly gearing up for the final sprint to mainstream adoption as major US banks – including JPMorgan Chase – venture into the ecosystem.
JPMorgan Invests $760,000 in Bitcoin
The U.S. largest bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, has just disclosed over $700,000 in investment in spot Bitcoin ETFs, including BlackRock’s IBIT, Bitwise’s BITB, Fidelity’s FBTC, and Grayscale’s GBTC.
While it has recently expressed optimism about the crypto ecosystem, outlining a positive outlook for the leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, it appears that JPMorgan’s venture into spot Bitcoin ETFs has been long coming. The company revealed its Bitcoin portfolio in a recent filing on May 10.
According to the financial reports, JPMorgan invested over 60% of the disclosed Bitcoin portfolio in BlackRock’s IBIT, showcasing its confidence in the leading Bitcoin Fund.
The unveiling of JPMorgan’s Bitcoin investment surprises many as the bank’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, is known for his contrarian stance on the cryptocurrency.
Dimon has recently compared buying Bitcoin to smoking a cigarette after revealing that he won’t invest in digital assets in an interview with CNBC. His statement reads;
“I don’t know what the bitcoin itself is for, but I defend your right to smoke a cigarette, I’ll defend your right to buy a bitcoin. I won’t personally ever buy Bitcoin.”
Bitcoin ETFs Gains More Adoption
Bitcoin ETFs have continued to gain interest from retail and institutional investors since their inception until the time of this writing, causing a notable shift in the broad cryptocurrency market.
While Bitcoin ETFs have seen adoption from reputable fintech companies, including MicroStrategy, the ecosystem is gaining traction among significant US banks.
Apart from JPMorgan’s recent unveiling of its Bitcoin portfolio, another major U.S.-based bank, Wells Fargo, has also decided to expand its investment portfolio to include Bitcoin ETF products.
The bank reported holdings of $143 million across three Bitcoin-related investment products as of March 31.
