The 'long bitcoin, short the bankers' era is officially over as TradFi giants embrace digital assets

Financial firms are partnering with specialists to build infrastructure, blurring lines between traditional and decentralized finance into a unified sector.

The top 3

  1. Leading Banks Offering Crypto Services: JPMorgan Chase operates JPM Coin and Kinexys for institutional blockchain settlements, PNC Bank launched direct spot Bitcoin trading in December 2025, and Bank of America authorized over 15,000 wealth advisors to recommend Bitcoin ETFs by January 2026.
  2. Asset Managers with Largest Crypto AUM: BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) leads with $47.13 billion in assets under management (AUM), followed by Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) at $10.75 billion, and Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) with $8.31 billion AUM as of August 2026.
  3. Major TradFi Investments in Crypto Infrastructure: BNY Mellon began offering institutional crypto custody in 2022, Cross River Bank raised $50 million in March 2026 to expand its crypto infrastructure, and Securitize partnered with Atlas Capital to launch USAFi under Dubai's VARA framework in August 2026.

Sources

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