Global equity index firm MSCI is considering launching charts for crypto assets, according to CEO Henry Fernández, in what would be a further step toward widespread acceptance of digital currencies and the companies that trade them.
Over the course of a Clubhouse event hosted by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz earlier this week, Fernandez said that MSCI has been speaking with experts and is aiming to launch cryptocurrency indices.
It did not provide details on the assets any index would focus on or a timeline for their introduction. MSCI later declined a request from Reuters for details on its comments.
Companies like Bank of New York Mellon Corp, Mastercard, Visa, and Goldman Sachs have already taken small steps to back cryptocurrencies, but they are still little used in everyday life.
In May, S&P Dow Jones Indices introduced new cryptocurrency charts, bringing bitcoin and ethereum to the Wall Street trading floors. The new indices – S&P Bitcoin Index, S&P Ethereum Index and S&P Crypto Mega Cap Index – will measure the performance of digital assets linked to them.
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global, of which Andreessen Horowitz is the largest shareholder, also successfully traded on the Nasdaq in April, when bitcoin hit its record high.
MSCI is looking to expand its offerings and Fernández said through Clubhouse that the areas of private credit and environmental, social and governance offer opportunities for the company.
The firm publishes popular indices for global stocks and other securities, used by asset managers and investors to guide the allocation of $ 14.5 trillion in assets globally by the end of 2020. Inclusion in its indices often opens the door for more. funds invest in the asset in question.
