Goldman eyes 'buying or investing' in crypto companies

Goldman Sachs reportedly has plans to buy or invest in crypto companies following the unravelling of crypto exchange FTX.

Matthew McDermott, head of digital assets at Goldman Sachs, told Reuters that FTX's collapse has heightened the need for more trustworthy, regulated cryptocurrency players, resulting in big banks viewing the event as an opportunity to pick up business.

McDermott noted that FTX’s collapse had resulted in dampened investor sentiment, with calls from the Bank of England for greater regulation of the crypto marketplace.

"FTX was a poster child in many parts of the ecosystem,” McDermott added. “But to reiterate, the underlying technology continues to perform."

Once the world’s second-largest crypto exchange, FTX rapidly nosedived following reports which suggested its foundation was less financially secure than previously thought. The news led to the crypto equivalent of a bank run, with investors withdrawing more than $6 billion in under 72 hours, resulting in its collapse.

As the FTX drama was unfolding, Goldman chief executive David Solomon told CNBC that while he views cryptocurrencies as "highly speculative", he sees “much potential” in the underlying technology as its infrastructure becomes more formalised.

Digital currency platform HAYVN has since expressed interest in acquiring the FTX Pay portion of FTX’s business, suggesting it could work as a bolt-on to HAYVN’s own payments infrastructure.

Reuters said the investment amount Goldman is willing to make may not be especially large, its willingness to keep investing amid the market’s recent strife shows it senses a long-term opportunity.

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