BNP Paribas has invested in BlackRock's Bitcoin Spot ETF

02.05.2024
BNP Paribas has invested in BlackRock's Bitcoin Spot ETF
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While the investment remains very modest ($41,684), it shows the willingness of players in traditional finance to accelerate on crypto topics.

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Bitcoin Spot ETFs have not only attracted US retail investors. According to a document published this Thursday by the US financial regulator, French bank BNP Paribas, which is the leading bank in the eurozone, has invested in the Bitcoin Spot ETF launched in January by BlackRock.

The "Market" arm of BNP Paribas bought 1,030 shares in the US giant's fund for a total of 41.684, which does not even represent one bitcoin; one bitcoin is currently worth just under $60,000.

According to our information, the operation was carried out on behalf of a bank client.

Beyond the amount of the investment and the fact that it was carried out on behalf of a client, it is the fact that BNP Paribas is participating in this type of operation that sends a signal. "Banks can't continue to remain spectators of what is happening," explains a player in the crypto industry.

These are precisely the same reasons that have prompted BNP Paribas to also move forward on the subject of tokenisation. For several years now, the rue d'Antin bank has had its own tokenisation platform called Asset Foundry. In particular, in 2022 the latter participated in the issue of the first 'green' bonds in partnership with EDF.

When questioned, BNP Paribas has not yet responded to our requests.

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Raphaël Bloch

Raphaël Bloch is CEO and co-founder of The Big Whale, an independent market intelligence platform on digital assets serving financial market participants through editorial coverage, research, a weekly briefing, and in-person events. He co-founded The Big Whale in April 2022. At the platform, he moderates and hosts institutional events bringing together banks, asset managers, custodians, and infrastructure providers on topics including staking, on-chain yield, stablecoins, DeFi lending, and tokenisation. He has moderated panels at events hosted in partnership with Bitwise, Everstake, Gemini, Morpho, Hexarq, Coinhouse, Delubac, Franklin Templeton, and the Ethereum Foundation, held in London and Paris between late 2025 and mid-2026.

Before founding The Big Whale, Bloch worked as a reporter at Les Echos from December 2016 to March 2020, then at L'Express from March 2020 to March 2022. He also previously worked at Reuters. Since September 2022, he has held a concurrent role as Business Analyst at BFM Business. He has been active in crypto journalism since 2016. He holds degrees from emlyon and the CFJ.

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