BlackRock wants to launch a bitcoin ETF. Why now?

• BlackRock’s CEO talked up bitcoin last week, with the asset manager trying to launch a fund that tracks it.
• Cryptocurrencies could “revolutionize” finance, Larry Fink said.
• The question he didn’t answer is: why now?

BlackRock is trying to become the first asset manager to launch a fund tracking the price of bitcoin.

Last month, the asset management giant filed an application to launch its exchange-traded fund, which many crypto execs believe could become the first spot bitcoin vehicle to be approved by the US markets watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Commission.