Multinational investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co is reportedly trialing the use of its own private blockchain for collateral settlements. According to Bloomberg, JPMorgan conducted a pilot transaction on May 20, which saw two of its entities transfer a tokenized representation of Black Rock Inc. money market fund shares. A money market fund is a type of mutual fund that is considered to be a low-risk investment, as it offers exposure to liquid and short-term assets such as cash, cash equivalents and debt securities with high credit ratings. In terms of JPMorgan’s broader vision for its private blockchain, the bank …

Neal Stevenson’s Snow Crash, a techno-dystopian science-fiction novel that has become a legend among Silicon Valley tech bros, predicted the rise of a future Metaverse all the way back in 1992. Despite Stephenson saying that he was “just making sh*t up”, the eerily accurate predictions and worldbuilding of Snow Crash have been long-revered by tech entrepreneurs and futurists including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. Now, Stephenson’s striking fictional depictions of a Metaverse oversaturated with the neon glow of commercial advertising rings truer than ever as Web3 designers and marketers gear up to begin advertising in the Metaverse(s) of today. On …

Last week’s Crypto Biz newsletter explained how Wall Street is essentially marketing Bitcoin (BTC) for us after Wells Fargo said digital assets could “soon hit a hyper-inflection point” in terms of adoption. This week, JPMorgan Chase issued its own bullish outlook when it labeled the metaverse a $1 trillion a year opportunity. In addition to JPMorgan, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) this week sent out a strong signal that nonfungible tokens (NYSE) and the metaverse are part of its long-term plans. On the regulatory front, the Republic of the Marshall Islands took a bold step in becoming a leader …

U.S. banking giant JPMorgan Chase has unveiled research on a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) blockchain network that is resistant to quantum computing attacks. QKD utilizes quantum mechanics and cryptography to enable two parties to exchange secure data and detect and defend against third parties that are attempting to eavesdrop on the exchange. The technology is seen as a viable defense against potential blockchain hacks that could be conducted by quantum computers in the future. According to a Feb.17 announcement, JPMorgan collaborated with Toshiba and Ciena to deploy and test the QKD blockchain. “At this time, QKD is the only solution …

Amid Bitcoin (BTC) posting a significant price recovery since early February, JPMorgan analysts suggested that the “fair value” of BTC is actually lower than its market price on Tuesday. The current fair-value level for BTC is around $38,000, JPMorgan strategists said in the bank’s latest investor note published on Tuesday. Led by JPMorgan crypto market analyst Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, the strategists estimated the “fair value” based on Bitcoin being nearly four times as volatile as gold. The “fair value” of Bitcoin would rise to $50,000 in a scenario where the volatility level narrows to three times, the strategists suggested, adding: “The …

One of the world’s largest investment banks has its Bitcoin (BTC) price predictions ready for 2022. In a recent poll, JPMorgan Chase asked its clients “where do you see Bitcoin trading at 2022 year-end?” Just 5% said they saw the digital coin reaching $100,000, and 9% saw it breaking previous all-time highs, reaching over $80,000. The bank is known for its wealthy client portfolio. While some BTC bulls may welcome the news that 14% of JPMorgan's clients expect at least a 2x, it’s not the fireworks the crypto market is accustomed to. On balance, however, the survey is generally positive. …

Bahrain is the latest nation to explore blockchain technology by American investment bank JPMorgan, with the country’s central bank trialing JPMorgan’s proprietary digital currency. The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has successfully completed a digital payment test in collaboration with JPMorgan’s blockchain and cryptocurrency unit Onyx, according to an official announcement published on Jan. 6. The trial involved two other major institutions, Manama-based international bank, Bank ABC, and Bahrain’s national aluminum smelter Aluminium Bahrain, also known as Alba. The test enabled Bank ABC to settle real-time payments to Alba’s counterparts in the United States using the JPM Coin, a blockchain-based …

American multinational investment bank JPMorgan has put a price on Bitcoin and it is a lot less than the asset currently trades for. In a report to investors as part of the bank’s inaugural outlook focused on alternative investments, strategists stated that alternative assets which include cryptocurrencies “should continue to outperform into 2022.” They also asserted that Bitcoin’s “fair value” is around $35,000 based on the firm’s price model, which roughly 45% lower than its current trading price of $63,281. Nevertheless a price target of $73,000 seems reasonable should the relative volatility continue into next year, the strategists added, but …

Top U.S.-based banks and financial institutions have filled more than 1,000 positions for crypto experts in the past three years. According to a Nov. 1 report from Bloomberg, financial institutions are offering significant bonuses to attract crypto talent, with human resource consultant Johnson Associates estimating that crypto positions pay salaries that are between 20% and 30% higher than comparable positions not related to digital currency. The firm added that many senior crypto roles benefit an up to 50% bump in salary over comparable positions, with managing director Alan Johnson concluding: “The banks can’t run the risk that their clients go …

The crypto ecosystem picked yet another executive from traditional finance. Two months after raising $263 million, the Europe-based cryptocurrency trading platform Bitpanda announced that Joshua Barraclough, a former exec at JP Morgan, joined its ranks as the CEO of its fully-regulated digital asset exchange Bitpanda Pro. Before transitioning into the crypto world, Barraclough worked as the global head of the fintech team and then as the co-head of digital innovation at JP Morgan. Answering Cointelegraph’s questions about the transition, Barraclough said that leaving JP Morgan to join Bitpanda was an easy decision. “I have always been at the bleeding edge …

Bitcoin (BTC) broke its all-time high price level following the launch of ProShares’ Bitcoin Strategy exchange-traded fund (ETF), BITO, on Tuesday, but JPMorgan Chase strategists believe the key driver behind the price jump is investor concern over inflation. The BITO launch, which saw the highest-ever first-day natural volume for an ETF, is “unlikely to trigger a new phase of significantly more fresh capital entering Bitcoin,” JPMorgan strategists said in a note. Instead, JPMorgan believes that as gold failed to respond to concerns over rising cost pressures in the last couple of weeks, Bitcoin’s renewed role as a better hedge against …

Open interest (OI) for Bitcoin (BTC) Futures trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) inched toward a new record high on Oct. 14 as BTC reclaimed its five-month high of $58,550 on BitStamp. The total number of outstanding derivatives contracts on the CME Group's Bitcoin Futures market reached $3.22 billion, just $40 million below its record high logged in Feb 2021, according to data provided by ByBt.com. Nonetheless, the OI came out to be higher than it was at the Bitcoin price's peak in mid-April. In detail, the Bitcoin Futures OI on CME was $3.02 billion on April 14, the …