Factbox: Bitcoin's march to the mainstream gathers pace
19/04/2021 12:38
LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Bitcoin BTC=BTSP hit a record
high just shy of $65,000 last week, the latest landmark on the
emerging asset's march to wider acceptance. Its gains have been
fuelled by growing acceptance among major U.S. companies and
financial firms.
Here are some steps from big companies, large investors,
banks and payment processors that have pushed bitcoin closer to
the mainstream in recent months:
INVESTMENT
Dec. 2020:
* British fund manager Ruffer Investment Management says it made
a bet on bitcoin worth in December around 550 million pounds
($765 million). urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2IW3FO
Jan. 2021:
* Investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co JPM.N says bitcoin could
hit $146,000 if it becomes an established safe-haven.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2KE3BF
Feb. 2021:
* Carmaker Tesla Inc TSLA.O announces it bought $1.5 billion
in bitcoin and says it will soon accept the cryptocurrency as
payment for its vehicles. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2KE3BF
March 2021:
* Morgan Stanley MS.N becomes the first big U.S. bank to offer
its wealth management clients access to bitcoin funds, CNBC
reported. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2LF3NP
* Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS.N reopens its crypto trading desk
and says it will offer investments in bitcoin and other digital
assets to its wealth management clients from the second quarter.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2LT3O5 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2LT3O5
* Daniel Loeb's hedge fund Third Point uses as a custodian
cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc COIN.O , a
regulatory filing shows https://sec.report/AdviserInfo/Firms/137927/Form-ADV-137927.pdf.
April 2021:
* Inflows into cryptocurrency funds and products hit a record
$4.5 billion in the first quarter, according to asset manager
CoinShares. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2LZ2L4
* UK-based hedge fund Brevan Howard sets up a new fund to invest
in digital assets, focusing on a long-only range of digital
assets including bitcoin, according to a personal familiar with
the matter.
* U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc COIN.O was
valued at $86 billion at the end of its Nasdaq debut, the
biggest listing yet by a crypto company. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2M73OE
* U.S. business software firm MicroStrategy MSTR.O , a major
investor in cryptocurrency since 2020, says it now holds 91,579
bitcoin. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nFWN2LV023
ACCEPTANCE
Feb. 2021:
* Mastercard MA.N unveils plans to support cryptocurrency
payments across its network. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2KG4NU
* BNY Mellon BK.N announces a new unit aimed at helping
clients trade and own cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2KH24F
* The city of Miami votes in favour of a proposal to allow
bitcoin to be used to pay city workers and for city residents
and businesses to make fee and tax payments with the
cryptocurrency. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KI1IM
* Canada's main securities regulator clears the launch of the
Purpose Bitcoin ETF, the world's first bitcoin exchange traded
fund. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KI1U7
March 2021:
* Payments processor PayPal PYPL.O allows U.S. consumers to
use their cryptocurrency holdings to pay at millions of its
online merchants globally. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2LR0OD
* Tesla Inc TSLA.O customers can now buy its electric vehicles
with bitcoin, its boss Elon Musk says. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2LM1RU
April 2021:
* Swiss arm of French insurer AXA AXAF.PA allows its customers
to pay https://www.axa.ch/en/ueber-axa/blog/trend/bitcoin-cryptocurrency%20.html
for non-life insurance products with bitcoin.
($1 = 0.7186 pounds)
(Compiled by Tom Wilson and Tom Westbrook. Editing by Mark
Potter)
((T.Wilson@thomsonreuters.com; (44) 20 7513 5676; Reuters
Messaging: t.wilson.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))