Swiss banking giant UBS, with assets under management (AuM) of up to $7 trillion, is set to launch Bitcoin trading for some of its clients. This comes amid predictions that regulatory clarity and broader adoption could send the BTC price to as high as $200,000. 

UBS To Offer Bitcoin Trading To Some Wealth Clients

Bloomberg reported that UBS is planning to launch crypto trading for some of its wealth clients, starting with its private bank clients in Switzerland. The bank will reportedly begin by offering these clients the opportunity to invest in Bitcoin and Ethereum. At the same time, the crypto offering could further expand to clients in the Pacific-Asia region and the U.S.

The banking giant is currently in discussions with potential partners, and there is no clear timeline for when it could launch Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for clients. This move is said to be partly due to increased demand from wealth clients for crypto exposure. UBS also faces increased competition as other Wall Street giants are working to offer crypto trading. 

Morgan Stanley, in partnership with Zerohash, announced plans to launch crypto trading in the first half of this year, starting with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The banking giant may soon also be able to offer its crypto products, as it has filed with the SEC to launch spot BTC, ETH, and SOL ETFs. 

Furthermore, JPMorgan, another of UBS’ competitors, is considering offering crypto trading to institutional clients, although this plan is still in the early stages. The bank already accepts Bitcoin and Ethereum as collateral from its clients. Last year, it also filed to offer BTC structured notes that will track the performance of the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF.

Can Bank’s Entry Trigger A BTC Rally To $200,000  

Kevin O’Leary predicted that Bitcoin could rally to between $150,000 and $200,000 this year, driven by the passage of the CLARITY Act. His prediction came just as White House Crypto Czar David Sacks said banks would fully enter crypto once the bill passes. As such, there is a possibility that BTC could reach this $200,000 psychological level in anticipation of the amount of new capital that could flow into BTC from these banks once the bill passes. 

BitMine’s Chairman, Tom Lee, also predicted during a CNBC interview that Bitcoin could reach between $200,000 and $250,000 this year, partly due to growing institutional adoption by Wall Street giants. Meanwhile, Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said that a BTC rally to $200,000 is the “most obvious thing in the world” to him.

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $89,600, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Bitcoin Magazine

Mastercard Eyes Bitcoin and Crypto Infrastructure Firm Zerohash Investment After Acquisition Talks Fall Through

Mastercard is reportedly considering a strategic investment in blockchain infrastructure firm Zerohash after the company rejected an outright acquisition, sources familiar with the matter told CoinDesk reporters.

Late last year, Mastercard was reportedly in advanced talks to buy the infrastructure company for up to $2 billion. The company offers custody, settlement, and fiat on- and off-ramps, enabling fintechs and brokerages to offer digital assets without building the underlying infrastructure. Ultimately, Zerohash chose to remain independent.

“We are not entertaining an acquisition by Mastercard. We respect the Mastercard team and look forward to scaling commercial partnerships,” a Zerohash spokesperson said, according to CoinDesk. “Remaining independent best positions Zerohash to continue innovating for our customers.”

While the acquisition is off the table, discussions about a strategic investment are ongoing. 

Such a stake would allow Mastercard to gain exposure to Zerohash’s technology and client base without taking full control, aligning with a broader push by traditional finance into digital assets. Mastercard declined to comment.

Zerohash’s influence in the crypto space

The move comes as crypto merger and acquisition activity ramps up. Industry insiders note that investors now favor established infrastructure companies over speculative tokens. 

Recent deals include CoinGecko exploring a $500 million sale and other fintech firms offering custody, staking, or instant market access.

Morgan Stanley also has a partnership with Zerohash giving the bank direct access to crypto market infrastructure, including liquidity, custody, and settlement services. 

By investing in the company, which recently achieved a $1 billion valuation, Morgan Stanley also secured a strategic foothold in the backend of digital asset markets. 

Mastercard has also been linked to potential acquisitions in the crypto sector, including BVNK, a London-based stablecoin payments platform. 

For Zerohash, retaining independence while potentially securing a strategic investment from a global payments giant could provide capital and credibility while preserving some independence. 

Last April, Mastercard announced a major partnership with Kraken to enable Bitcoin and crypto payments at scale across the UK and Europe. 

The collaboration allows Kraken users to spend digital assets at over 150 million Mastercard-accepting merchants via physical and digital debit cards. Kraken’s recent feature, Kraken Pay, has already seen over 200,000 users activate their “Kraktag” for fast, borderless payments in crypto and fiat. 

Representatives from either company have yet to publicly comment on this reported news.

This post Mastercard Eyes Bitcoin and Crypto Infrastructure Firm Zerohash Investment After Acquisition Talks Fall Through first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

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Server Message Block (SMB), also known as Common Internet File System (CIFS), is a network protocol mainly used for providing shared access to files, printers, serial ports and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network.

Versions of Windows SMB
CIFS: The old