We have always heard about cryptocurrencies, crypto exchange, banking, and trading platforms, but we do not really grasp the idea of crypto banking. Crypto banking is a contradicted idea. If crypto is to replace banks and give users full control of digital money, why do you put your crypto into the bank? The new research paper argued that there are risks for banks to adopt crypto, but they did it anyway.

Banks want crypto

Cryptocurrency has a rough road at the beginning and continues to experience a bumpy road ahead. The institutional investors were watching its performance. In early 2017, institutional investors had opportunities to adopt crypto, but they found out the return of the investments was less than traditional financial assets. Regulations were not a concern for some individual institutional owners, but banks were conservative at the time. As a result, some investors adopted it in early 2018 than banks did. Then suddenly, the crypto market took off in 2020, leaving many banks to regret their decision in 2017. Many banks set up their digital investment group to rush into the market and increase prices. Of course, many of their investment positions are instead of shadow positions. It is unclear how much they have been invested in and what vehicles they took to invest in cryptos.

Crypto Exchange

Crypto exchange is a bank-like platform for crypto. Banks offered a place to purchase fiat currency. Crypto exchange did the same duty as traditional banks did. Since there was a gap between the crypto and banks, the crypto exchange took responsibility and offered crypto services. The crypto exchange took off after 2020, and they left banks in the dust. Then, crypto winter came in early 2022, and banks again hesitated to enter the crypto and started denouncing crypto usage, particularly in the Defi area. But interestingly, they tried to find ways to get into crypto without being directly exposed to cryptocurrencies—hint: through hedge funds.

How much banks exposure to crypto

We do not know how much banks have been exposed to crypto. We learned that the big Wall Street players were exposed to the services of the digital asset through State Street of their $41.7 trillion assets. Some have been exposed due to Luna's collapse and 3AC bankruptcy. But again, no specific dollar amount was provided. 

Survivors

Since the crypto winter, institutional investors have been cautious about crypto exposure. However, crypto exchanges are the winner again. They are exposed to crypto and take risks more than banks do. As a result, they likely will weather the uncertainty. Furthermore, there is no need for crypto banking to handle your crypto assets since many such services will not survive long in the crypto environment. 

Crypto is resilience

Despite its fluctuating price and unsecured assets, crypto is resilient to phase out any bad business ideas and bad actors in the economy who wants to or try to dominate the market but who transfers risks to users to believe they are the one who should take responsibility for their carelessness. Unfortunately, those business models will not survive long.