Introduction
The value of Bitcoin and the wider cryptocurrency and digital assets market gained almost 300% over the course of 2020. There are still plenty of naysayers in financial markets calling another bubble by evoking the memory of 2017. But an increasing number of others, including those on the financial services sector inside, are coming around to a very different opinion. They are convinced Bitcoin and digital assets are now on the cusp of a breakthrough into the mainstream.
That’s an opinion based on a new trading infrastructure that now closely resembles what institutional investors are used to dealing with when trading other more established asset classes. Last week Blackrock, the giant U.S. asset manager often referred to as the world’s biggest investor gave two of its leading funds permission to trade Bitcoin futures.
That represents a major shift in attitudes. It’s only a little over three year ago that Blackrock founder, chairman and chief executive Larry Fink referred to Bitcoin as an “index of money laundering”.
Blackrock are far from alone in starting to, if not quite embrace the sector, show a new openness to Bitcoin and digital assets. Many institutional investors, including big names like JPMorgan, now at least view the prospect of digital assets mainstreaming as serious enough to take out hedging positions against the eventuality. Back in 2017, JP Morgan chief executive Jamie Dimon threatened to fire any employee trading Bitcoin, even in a private capacity, for being “stupid”. He called cryptocurrencies a “fraud” and “worse than tulip bulbs”.
Topics covered in this Guide
- How has the cryptocurrency market evolved since 2017?
- State of The Market: Digital Assets In 2021
- Are The General Public Ready For Cryptocurrencies?
- Origins of Cryptocurrencies and Other Digital Assets
- How do Cryptocurrencies Work?
- The Most Popular Digital Assets
- Digital Assets By % Of Total Market Capitalisation (Dominance)
- Buying and Using Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets
- Investing in cryptocurrencies
- Cryptocurrency Price Drivers
- Cryptocurrency Investment Options
