JPMorgan's Retail Customers Can Now Tap Crypto – Just Not Directly

The mega-bank will help even retail clients invest in GBTC, Grayscale’s Ethereum Trust, Bitcoin Cash Trust, Ethereum Classic Trust as well as Osprey Bitcoin Trust through their brokerage accounts, as Business Insider first reported. The Grayscale products are issued by Grayscale, a subsidiary of CoinDesk parent company Digital Currency Group.

The move gives a wide array of JPM clients – including those plugged into the commission-free Chase trading app – easy access to indirect crypto investing. Trust products from Grayscale and Osprey are price exposure vehicles that sidestep custody headaches. However, these clients cannot invest in crypto directly through their JPM accounts.

Advisors are prohibited from soliciting orders in the crypto funds, Business Insider reported. They cannot make buy or sell recommendations for their clients.

CoinDesk reported in April that JPMorgan was preparing to launch a bitcoin fund for Private Bank clients.