J.P. Morgan is considering whether to provide its clients access to CME’s new Bitcoin product through its futures-brokerage unit.
Oh Jamie…
The irony of the announcement, of course, is that Jamie Dimon has been the most outspoken critic of Bitcoin on Wall Street, calling it a ‘fraud’ and saying that anyone who invests in Bitcoin is ‘stupid’. Dimon also said he would fire anyone caught investing in it – a promise which he has yet to fulfill.
The strongly negative leanings of some Wall Street pundits have been matched by the positive outlooks from others. However, whether Jamie gets in or not, Bitcoin futures will likely become a reality in early December, powerfully increasing adoption.
So guess what? Like Bill Gates who famously didn’t get the internet to start with, as ever the smart people realise when they have to change their minds.
As a result, wealth managers around the world are being bombarded by Bitcoin requests, according to a new report by Bloomberg. The spectacular rise in value of the cryptocurrency has caused a run on the investment, with a huge number of investors seeking positions in the new asset class.
Mainstream adoption for Bitcoin, which until this year was still widely considered a black market currency, has grown at remarkable rates. The explosive price increases have led to new vehicles for investment such as Bitcoin futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and others.
There’s a statistic I like about Bitcoin. There will only ever be 21 million. And as of right now, there are 35 million millionaires in the world. In other words, not every millionaire can have a Bitcoin. In any event saying you have .1 of a Bitcoin doesn’t mean anything to anyone (even though it’s worth about £650). How much better to say, “Hey, you know what? I have 45,000 Scotcoin!” That MEANS something.
