JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has found himself under scrutiny from the crypto community following his appointment as an authorized participant (AP) by BlackRock, a move revealed in BlackRock’s updated Form S-1 filing released on December 29.
In the world of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), an authorized participant is an organization granted the privilege to create and redeem shares of the ETF.
BlackRock, in its filing, formally designated Jane Street and JPMorgan Securities as “authorized participants” in its proposed spot Bitcoin ETF application.
Interestingly, this development comes despite Dimon’s public stance against Bitcoin.
Dimon had made his stance clear during a December 6 hearing of the United States Senate Banking Committee.
At that time, he asserted that if he held governmental authority, he would make efforts to shut down cryptocurrencies.
Dimon argued that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies primarily serve as tools to facilitate criminal activities. This statement drew sharp criticism from the crypto community.
Critics were quick to point out the apparent hypocrisy of JPMorgan’s involvement as an authorized participant in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF.
Silver Zimmermann, a crypto enthusiast, sarcastically suggested, “Perhaps money laundering, tax evasion, criminal participation, and drug trafficking are their business as well.”
Others, like user Sunny Po, questioned JPMorgan’s contradictory positions, asking, “How can JP Morgan do all that after telling Congress and Elizabeth Warren that this is what it’s used for?”
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Notably, John Deaton, a pro-XRP lawyer, expressed skepticism regarding Senator Elizabeth Warren’s stance on Bitcoin and raised concerns about JPMorgan’s willingness to associate with Bitcoin despite its negative characterization as a tool for criminals.
Deaton questioned whether this was an attempt to mislead the public or engage in gaslighting.
Despite Dimon’s publicly stated opposition to the digital asset sector, JPMorgan made surprising moves in the crypto space.
The bank recently introduced JPM Coin, its own cryptocurrency token, operating on a private version of the Ethereum blockchain, catering to its institutional clients.
Furthermore, JPMorgan launched a blockchain-based tokenization platform in October, with BlackRock counted among its clients.
The bank also participated in a $65 million funding round for Ethereum infrastructure firm Consensys in April 2021.
In summary, JPMorgan’s involvement as an authorized participant in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF has ignited controversy within the crypto community, given Jamie Dimon’s previous negative statements about cryptocurrency.
This development has raised questions about the bank’s stance on Bitcoin and its motivations for engaging in the crypto space.
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