JAKARTA - The former CEO of Barclays, Bob Diamond, commented on BlackRock's crypto activity. The comment was made by Diamond in an interview with CNBC on June 21.
Diamond, who currently serves as CEO of Atlas Merchant Capital, expressed his joy at seeing mainstream companies like BlackRock increasingly engaging in the crypto world. He stated that he was not surprised to see them expand their involvement in digital assets.
Recently, BlackRock submitted a request to launch a Bitcoin (ETF) exchange-traded fund. If approved, this would be the company's first step in offering such an investment. However, Diamond stressed that BlackRock's involvement in cryptocurrencies is not limited to the filing. He noted that one of his companies and BlackRock had previously invested in Circle's company, the publisher of USDC stablecoins.
In April 2022, BlackRock took part in Circle's funding round which managed to raise $400 million. Although it was not explained whether Diamond's company, Atlas, was also an investor on the occasion. Diamond also gave his views on the crypto market in general. According to him, if we narrow the definition of crypto to digitalization of various things we do, it is normal.
Diamond argues that the cryptocurrency industry should stop avoiding regulations and build more cooperation with regulators. He believes that powerful banks want strong regulation, and clarity in regulations is essential so that cryptocurrencies can have a positive impact. Although Diamond revealed that he personally hasn't bought Bitcoin (BTC), he mentioned that his partner at Atlas Merchant Capital, David Schamis, has invested in crypto.
Meanwhile, in June, two leading crypto exchanges, Coinbase and Binance, faced demands from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The two companies revealed that they had sought to cooperate with regulators, but had not yet been given a way to register officially.
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