Giant Wall Street investment bank, Goldman Sachs, has reportedly started offering bitcoin (BTC) derivatives products to its clients. At present, the New York-based financial institution is not planning on offering similar contracts for Ether (ETH) or other major cryptocurrencies.
According to TheBlock, Goldman Sachs will not be rushing to launch new crypto-related products, and its bitcoin non-deliverable forward contracts (“a derivative product tied to futures”) is only available to a select few clients of the bank for now.
With over $900 billion in total assets, Goldman Sachs is currently looking into various options which would allow it to offer custody solutions for cryptocurrencies. There had also been reports earlier this month that the multinational financial services company was “actively exploring the creation” of an ether-based non-deliverable forward contract.
Inaccurate Reports Regarding Ether Futures
This was first reported by the Abacus Journal, however, a source closely following Goldman Sachs’ operations told TheBlock that the bank was not planning to introduce any type of derivatives product for ether (anytime soon).
Moreover, it might not be possible at this time to launch an ether-based product as ether futures contracts are not currently issued by any regulated US-based exchange. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) Global Markets had said earlier this year that it would soon be introducing ether futures contracts, however, the exchange holding company has not yet followed through with its plans.
Meanwhile, sources familiar with Goldman Sachs’ internal operations have said that the bank’s customers are not really looking for any new crypto-related products at this time.
Coinbase Receives “Qualified Custodian” Status
Although many institutional investors have begun to take more interest in cryptocurrencies, they have not yet made substantial investments in them due to their volatile nature. Institutional clients are also looking for reliable custodial solutions for digital assets.
San Francisco-based crypto exchange, Coinbase, has been actively working to develop custodial solutions for cryptos. Launched in July of 2018, Coinbase Custody has now become an independent qualified custodian under New York State Banking Law.
Coinbase Custody’s qualified custodian status allows the company to offer regulated custodian services for bitcoin (BTC), ripple (XRP), litecoin (LTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), ether (ETH), and ethereum classic (ETC).
BlackRock CEO: Clients Not Interested In Crypto
Although it appears that crypto firms are trying to meet the demands of institutional clients by introducing products specifically for their use, many would-be investors are trying to better understand crypto assets.
Sources close to Goldman Sachs have said that the institution’s clients have been contacting its senior bankers to inquire about how they can “break into the market.”
Interestingly, Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, an American global investment management firm with over $6.2 trillion of assets under management, said in July:
I don’t believe any client has sought out crypto exposure. I’ve not heard from one client who says, ‘I need to be in this.'
