Wall Street just hit shift + enter on crypto, and the message is loud and clear: banks are done watching from the sidelines. If you thought crypto exchanges had a monopoly on spot trading forever, the Office of the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency just laughed and slid JPMorgan a green light.
Yep, news on US banks just flipped the script and the crypto exchange market is officially sweating.
Banks Go Full “Riskless” Mode on Crypto
Thanks to fresh guidance from the US Comptroller of the Currency, national banks can now broker crypto trades using a slick little loophole called riskless principal trading. Translation for voice search fans asking, “Can banks trade crypto now?” Yes, they can, without holding coins or riding volatility like the rest of us.
JPMorgan is already sniffing around institutional crypto trading, and when Wall Street sniffs, it usually eats. This isn’t some lab experiment it’s execution. The kind that makes crypto.com exchange compliance teams double-check their coffee supply.
JPMorgan, Goldman, and the Return of the Retail Desk
This isn’t just JPM. Goldman Sachs dusted off its crypto retail desk, offering bitcoin and ether derivatives, while the Goldman Sachs office in New York quietly becomes ground zero for TradFi’s crypto curiosity. (Yes, the Goldman Sachs office in New York is suddenly very blockchain-friendly.)
BNY Mellon is already custody-deep. Fidelity-linked firms are testing rails. And banks now want the easiest money in crypto: basic spot trades, clean fees, zero drama.
Think BTC, ETH, not sol to xmr or sol to ltc swaps at 3 a.m.
Bad News for Exchanges? Not Exactly
Let’s answer the big question users are asking: “Is this bad for crypto exchanges?”
Short answer: for U.S.-based spot trading, yeah a little spicy.
Retail traders who once googled “crypto exchange New York” might soon just tap their banking app. That squeezes entry-level coin trade volume from platforms like Coinbase and Gemini.
But don’t pour one out yet. Exchanges still dominate derivatives, global liquidity, DeFi rails, and the stuff banks won’t touch with a ten-foot compliance memo.
XRP News Now, SOL Traders, and the Greenspan Put Vibes
This move doesn’t kill speculation it sanitizes access. Hardcore traders chasing xrp news now or debating can you use Bybit in the US aren’t suddenly becoming JPM clients.
But the vibe? Pure Greenspan put energy. Wall Street stepping in, legitimizing risk, and quietly absorbing flow while letting the wild stuff live offshore.
Banks want boring crypto. Exchanges will keep the fun.
Mic Drop: Crypto Didn’t Lose It Got Grown-Up
Banks didn’t replace exchanges. They just claimed the safest lane. Crypto stays crypto, chaotic, global, fast. Wall Street just wants a slice, clean-cut and insured.
The real flex? Crypto didn’t go mainstream. Mainstream came crawling to crypto, tie loosened, balance sheet ready.
Browse finance and crypto articles by Komal Tariq — smart market insights, trading guides, and financial trends for all investors.
