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BlackRock Is 'Studying' Crypto, Which Could Someday Play Role Akin to Gold, CEO Says: Report

The financial services giant is monitoring regulation and development of infrastructure, among other issues.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:02 p.m. Published May 26, 2021, 3:36 p.m.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said on Wednesday the company is studying the potential of cryptocurrencies to serve as long-term investments though it's too early to tell if they're “just a speculative trading tool” due to their volatility, Reuters reported.

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  • Cryptocurrencies could someday play a role in long-term investing as an asset class similar to gold, Fink said at the company's annual meeting in response to a shareholder question asking whether the company would invest in bitcoin.
  • “The firm has monitored the evolution of crypto assets. We are studying what it means, the infrastructure, the regulatory landscape,” Reuters quoted Fink as saying.
  • For now, though, crypto is too volatile to serve as an investment for BlackRock, which is a long-term investor, Fink said. The CEO noted broker dealers are by and large the ones making the big money from the volatility of cryptocurrencies and their wide bid-ask spreads, Reuters said.

Read more: BlackRock Has Begun Trading Bitcoin Futures

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Solana CME Futures Fell Short of BTC and ETH Debuts, but There's a Catch

Solana CME futures first-day activity compared to BTC and ETH debuts. (CME/K33 Research)

When adjusted for asset market capitalization SOL's relative futures volume looks better, K33 Research noted.

What to know:

  • Solana's SOL futures began trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Monday, with a notional daily volume of $12.3 million and $7.8 million in open interest, significantly lower than the debuts of bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) futures.
  • Despite the seemingly lackluster debut, when adjusted to market value, SOL's first-day figures are more in line with BTC's and ETH's, according to K33 Research.
  • Despite the bearish market conditions, the launch of CME SOL futures offers new ways for institutions to manage their exposure to the token, said Joshua Lim of FalconX.