JPMorgan Chase [NYSE: JPM] is accelerating its move into the digital asset space across multiple fronts, with the world’s largest bank exploring institutional cryptocurrency trading services, scaling its blockchain infrastructure at a dramatic pace, and watching its CEO publicly acknowledge competitive pressure from crypto-native rivals for the first time.

The bank’s markets division is assessing what spot and derivatives cryptocurrency trading products it could offer to institutional clients, including hedge funds and pension managers, according to a Bloomberg report, with the plans still in early stages and contingent on sufficient client demand materialising for specific products.

The exploration of…