CEOs of U.S. banks are likely “very afraid” of bitcoin, according to a wealth advisor.
Some financiers have said the cryptocurrency is an unwise investment because of its volatility or supposedly weak store of value, but bank chiefs have another reason to dislike bitcoin, said Rainer Michael Preiss, executive director at Taurus Wealth Advisors.
“Of course, if you run a very large U.S. bank, most probably you are afraid of blockchain and bitcoin,” said Rainer Michael Preiss, executive director at Taurus Wealth Advisors.
His comments came after JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon called bitcoin a “fraud” last Tuesday.
Preiss countered, however, that cryptocurrencies could present investors with a viable alternative given the uncertainty from banking’s lack of transparency.
“The concerns are about the fractional reserve banking system, and the balance sheet of the Federal Reserve at $4.5 trillion, where the Fed officially refuses an audit,” he said. “On the other hand, on the bitcoin blockchain, you have an audit everyday because it’s open-sourced.”
The digital currency uses blockchain technology to record every transaction that occurs, granting all users full view of the digital ledger.