Wall Street Banks Are Reportedly Backing Away From Cryptocurrency

Squeamish from the start about pursuing profits in one of the darker corners of finance, established firms this year slowed their already halting efforts to make a business out of Bitcoin mania. While none has thrown in the towel, and some continue to develop a trading infrastructure, most flinched as the value of virtual coins collapsed.

From a report: Multiple leading firms had either announced or were rumored to be entering the market earlier in the year, but few have come to fruition. The report said that 'while none has thrown in the towel, and some continue to develop a trading infrastructure, most flinched as the value of virtual coins collapsed.' Notable among those firms was Goldman Sachs. In May it was reported that the company was preparing to launch a bitcoin trading desk that would involve the bank using its own money to trade with clients in a variety of contracts linked to the price of bitcoin.

It was presumed that clients would include hedge funds that deal in cryptocurrencies as well as bitcoin futures contracts such as those launched by CME Group Inc. and Cboe Global Markets Inc. in 2017. Fast forward to December and no such bitcoin trading desk has been launched. In September it was reported that the plan had been abandoned, but a day later Goldman Sachs Chief Financial Officer Martin Chavez denied the report, saying that the bank's 'exploration of the digital asset class is an ever-evolving process and is in response to significant client interest.' He added that the report was 'fake news.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.