A globally consistent crypto regulatory framework is urgently needed to allow banks to handle crypto assets on behalf of large customers, said a JPMorgan executive. “We need a globally consistent regulatory framework. It’s important that we get to a solution as quickly as possible.”
Global Regulatory Framework Urgently Needed to Allow Banks to Offer Crypto Exposure to Customers, Says JPMorgan
Debbie Toennies, managing director and head of regulatory affairs at global investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co., spoke about global cryptocurrency regulations applicable to banks on Tuesday at an event hosted by the International Swaps and Derivative Association.
The JPMorgan executive said that new rules are urgently needed to give banks certainty in handling crypto assets on behalf of large customers who seek exposure in this asset class.
A growing number of large institutions, including hedge funds, want to invest in and gain exposure to the crypto asset class. According to Wells Fargo, the cryptocurrency has entered the “hyper adoption phase”.
Noting that some very large players had asked JPMorgan to hedge their exposures to crypto assets, Toennies opined:
I think we need a globally consistent regulatory framework. It is important that we find a solution as soon as possible.
Global banking regulators at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision are discussing rules for banks to deal with crypto assets. In June last year, the Committee proposed dividing crypto assets into two groups and regulating them based on their market, liquidity, credit, and operational risks to banks. However, final rules are not expected until at least next year.
Toennies revealed that the global investment bank had discussed with various jurisdictions an “interim treatment” for crypto assets pending the Basel Committee establishing the applicable rules.
The JPMorgan head of Regulatory Affairs detailed:
The real risk to all of our economies is that if we don’t get to a solution that allows banks to engage with our clients in a hedged way, this activity will go outside the regulatory perimeter, and I am concerned about financial stability.
