JPMorgan weighs offering institutional crypto trading as Wall Street doubles down on digital assets

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is mulling offering cryptocurrency trading to its institutional clients, deepening Wall Street’s involvement in digital assets as demand for regulated market access continues to rise.

The bank is exploring what products and services its markets division could provide, including potential spot and derivatives trading, according to Bloomberg, citing a person familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified because the discussions are not public.

JPMorgan has historically taken a cautious stance toward direct crypto exposure, even as it has built blockchain-based settlement tools and tokenization platforms. Offering direct trading access, even under an institutional-only framework, would represent a meaningful expansion of its digital-asset footprint.

The plans remain under internal assessment, and no final decisions have been made.

A growing shift across major banks

If adopted, JPMorgan would join a widening group of global banks expanding their crypto capabilities despite uneven regulatory clarity and prolonged policy uncertainty in the U.S.

Standard Chartered launched spot bitcoin and ether trading for institutional clients earlier this year, becoming one of the first major banks to offer direct access to crypto markets. Morgan Stanley has opened broader access to spot bitcoin ETFs for wealth clients and is preparing to enable direct trading of bitcoin, ether, and Solana through its E-Trade platform.

Citi has been exploring digital asset payment rails and stablecoin capabilities for institutional customers, including a partnership with Coinbase, while also evaluating potential stablecoin-linked products of its own.

Bank of New York has extended its custody and tokenization initiatives. It is set to hold dollar reserves for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, while Goldman Sachs continues to build its tokenization and digital-asset infrastructure through partnerships and industry consortia.

Together, the moves reflect a coordinated shift by major financial institutions to position themselves for long-term adoption, even as U.S. regulatory frameworks remain unsettled.

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