Tom Jessop on institutional adoption
From Tom Jessop (Fidelity) and Tom Chippas (ErisX) on building institutional infrastructure (EP.64) · · On The Brink with Castle Island
“At the base level we're focused on sourcing the best liquidity for clients and acting as a bridge between the old and the new — connecting institutions to regulated, transparent venues like ErisX to provide the custody, execution and market access they expect.”
On , Tom Jessop, President at Fidelity Digital Assets, spoke about institutional adoption during Tom Jessop (Fidelity) and Tom Chippas (ErisX) on building institutional infrastructure (EP.64) on On The Brink with Castle Island.
About Tom Jessop
Tom Jessop, President of Fidelity Digital Assets, has stated that the cryptocurrency space has reached a "tipping point" for institutional adoption, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst and describing bitcoin's narrative as "digital gold" amid unprecedented monetary stimulus. He has noted that Fidelity's annual client surveys show a year-over-year increase in both current ownership of digital assets and future purchase intent among institutions, with 70% of respondents indicating they intend to have an allocation to digital assets over the next five years. Jessop has described blockchain technology as a "new operating system for financial services" and said Fidelity is making a long-term investment in the space, initially focusing on providing institutions with custodial and trade execution services. Jessop has commented on market volatility, describing significant drawdowns as part of the "maturization as an asset class" and attributing a May 2021 correction to leveraged-driven excess that was reduced by roughly two-thirds. He has stated that the predominant institutional narrative for bitcoin is as a hedge against fiscal and monetary inflation, while a smaller number of investors view it from a portfolio allocation standpoint due to its lack of correlation with other assets. On regulation, Jessop has said that regulatory clarity and investor protection are important, and that Fidelity is engaged with regulators to educate them on the technology. He has also noted that Fidelity Digital Assets focuses on institutional clients and does not serve retail investors.