JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has been nothing if not consistent in his views on cryptocurrencies over the past decade:
But now, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, JPMorgan plans to allow institutional clients to use their holdings of Bitcoin and Ether as collateral for loans by the end of the year.
The offering would store clients’ Bitcoin and Ether holdings through a third-party custodian, according to people who spoke to the news outlet.
As CoinTelegraph’s Zoltan Vardai reports, if confirmed, the development could make the two leading cryptocurrencies more attractive for institutional investors, akin to the historic approval of the first US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in January 2024.
A spokesperson for JPMorgan declined to comment.
The report follows months of speculation that JPMorgan could soon accept Bitcoin and Ether ETFs as collateral.
JPMorgan continues crypto push
JPMorgan has been considering cryptocurrency-collateralized loans since at least July, when the first reports on this matter emerged.
Still, the Financial Times previously reported that adopting Bitcoin and Ether as collateral assets may not occur until 2026.
JPMorgan was among the first US banks to venture into crypto. In 2020, it launched JPM Coin, a dollar-pegged stablecoin. In 2024, the bank reported holding shares of different spot Bitcoin ETFs.
The early integration came despite JPMorgan’s CEO previously expressing criticism of digital assets.
In 2018, Dimon said he had no interest in cryptocurrencies.
In 2022, he called digital assets “decentralized Ponzi schemes,” but commented positively on blockchain and smart contract technology.
Lately, Dimon has moderated his stance somewhat, while remaining skeptical.
“I don’t think we should smoke, but I defend your right to smoke,” Dimon said at JPMorgan’s investor conference in May.
“I defend your right to buy Bitcoin, go at it.”
The investment bank also expressed interest in stablecoins during an earnings call on July 15, when CEO Jamie Dimon said they planned to be involved in stablecoins to better “understand” this emerging asset class.
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