Crypto assets will be available to Goldman Sachs investors at some point in quarter two, comments from an incoming senior executive quoted by CNBC suggest.
Bitcoin (BTC) and some altcoins will soon be available to Goldman Sachs clients, according to a new media report.
Released by CNBC on Wednesday, comments from an interview with Mary Rich, global head of digital assets for the bank's private wealth management division, confirmed the bank's plans to offer crypto assets to investors.
Goldman executive: Crypto access coming in "near term"
The move will make Goldman the second major lender to open up the world of cryptocurrency to its clients, and it comes weeks after a pioneering move by Morgan Stanley.
″We are working closely with teams across the firm to explore ways to offer thoughtful and appropriate access to the ecosystem for private wealth clients, and that is something we expect to offer in the near-term,” CNBC quoted Rich as saying.
Morgan Stanley's rollout is due to launch in April, with Goldman's occurring later in the second quarter. Both banks have the potential to bring large amounts of new capital into the Bitcoin ecosystem via participation in crypto-focused funds.
Continuing, Rich highlighted demand as a driving force behind Goldman's decision.
“There’s a contingent of clients who are looking to this asset as a hedge against inflation, and the macro backdrop over the past year has certainly played into that,” she added.