According to a memo obtained exclusively by CNBC, Goldman Sachs officially relaunched its crypto desk after it successfully traded two types of bitcoin-linked derivatives. Moreover, Rajesh Venkataramani, the Goldman Sachs partner who wrote the memo, stated that a crypto team had been established. The desk is part of the firm’s global currencies and emerging markets division.
The announcement came after the program was previously restarted this March. According to Reuters, Goldman Sachs was considering projects involving blockchain technology and central bank digital currencies. The crypto desk was initially started in 2018, but as bitcoin’s price was falling, so was investors’ interest. But, since then, the market infrastructure for cryptocurrencies has developed, and financial institutions started offering products and services, such as CME Group Inc, Intercontinental Exchange Inc, and Fidelity. Even mainstream companies, such as Tesla, announced that it bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin, and it revealed that it is accepting bitcoin payments.
Through its desk, Goldman Sachs offers bitcoin futures and non-deliverable forwards to wager on the price of bitcoin. The contracts are settled in cash, as Goldman is not working with the “physical bitcoin.”
Sources: cnbc.com, reuters.com