As most ASX investors would know, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) are once again all the rage. This has no doubt been helped by Bitcoin's ascension to yet another new all-time high above US$66,000 per coin last month.
Well, one ASX bank has already shown that it is keen to capitalise on this new wave of goodwill towards Bitcoin and other cryptos. On Wednesday, the dominant Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) set chins a-wagging when it announced it would be the first ASX bank to offer cryptocurrency services to its customers.
As my Fool colleague Bernd reported at the time: "In an Australian first, the bank's customers will be able to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies via CommBank's app. This will include trading and holding [Bitcoin] and [Ethereum]."
In addition to these leading coins, CommBank will also be offering access to "up to 10 selected cryptos". These will include Bitcoin Cash (CRYPTO: BCH) and Litecoin (CRYPTO: LTC).
CBA is partnering with the US-based cryptocurrency exchange Gemeni and blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis to deliver this new service.
Well, CBA might not be the only ASX bank offering crypto services for long.
ANZ set to join CBA's Bitcoin bandwagon?
According to a report from cointelegraph.com, Nigel Dobson, banking services portfolio lead at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ASX: ANZ), has told a Blockchain Australia forum that the crypto space is now "too big to ignore" for traditional finance companies like ANZ. Here's some of what he reportedly said:
There's this sort of weight of money that you just simply at some point can't ignore right?… it's just the weight of money and the quality of money that's moving into these venues that it makes us think, well, what is happening here? When you look under the hood on that, we've concluded that this is a major protocol shift for financial market infrastructure.
He went on to compare the blockchain technology behind cryptos such as Bitcoin to the emerging internet technology of the early 2000s:
I think the move that the CBA made yesterday was bold and it is yet to be seen whether those customers will embrace that. But certainly… the ship has sailed. And so what it is that we need to do is to navigate our path towards utilising these networks.
So perhaps no one should be surprised if we see ANZ move into the cryptocurrency space in the near future. Or indeed Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB), or any other ASX bank. CBA has a reputation for trendsetting in the ASX banking sector, after all.
As we covered on Wednesday, CBA will launch its crypto services in a pilot program "within weeks", with additional features rolled out next year. There's no doubt the other ASX banks will be watching to see how it goes.
