A major US bank just made a big move—starting January 5th next year, their Private Bank, Merrill, and Merrill Edge financial advisors can directly recommend crypto asset-related ETPs and ETFs to clients.

Here’s the key point: this time, there are no minimum account asset requirements.

Previously, what was the situation? Only high-net-worth clients who met certain asset thresholds could access Bitcoin-related products, starting from early 2024. Now that threshold is gone, making crypto asset allocation a standard option not just for the wealthy, but for regular investors as well.

This move by traditional financial institutions is, in a way, an endorsement for the entire industry. Compliance used to be a concern, but now the regulatory environment is clearly loosening up. The fact that major institutions are willing to do this shows they’ve seen something.