Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein: I'm Open to Bitcoin

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein has said that he has not comfortable with bitcoin, but he is open to the cryptocurrency.

AccessTimeIconNov 3, 2017 at 9:25 a.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 7:22 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein says that he isn't comfortable with bitcoin, but he is open to the cryptocurrency.

In an interview with Bloomberg at the Goldman Sachs Sustainable Finance Innovation Forum in New York, the CEO said that he has a "level of discomfort" over bitcoin as he has with anything that is new. His comments were in response to questions of his feelings over bitcoin futures, as recently proposed by CME Group.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • Citing new technology evolutions like cellphones, Blankfein continued, "I’ve learned over the years that there’s a lot of things that workout pretty well that I don't love."

    He continued:

    "Maybe in the new world, something gets backed by consensus ... If we went into the future and bitcoins were successful, I would be able to explain how it's a natural evolution of money."

    The bank chief's comments come after a remark last month on his Twitter account in which Blankfein he is "still thinking about bitcoin" and that he is not "endorsing or rejecting" it. The comment was in contrast with that of his counterpart at JPMorgan Chase, CEO Jamin Dimon, who now-famously stated bitcoin is a "fraud."

    On a concluding note, Blankfein said he doesn't hold any investments in the cryptocurrency.

    Lloyd Blankfein image via The Aspen Institute/Youtube

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.