JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon tells Sen. Elizabeth Warren that government should shut down crypto

Quick Take

  • Dimon, who has not been shy in his dismay for crypto, said he would shut down crypto if he was the government.
  • He made the comment when asked by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, about anti-money laundering concerns. 

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told a panel of lawmakers on Wednesday that he would shut down crypto, if he was the government. 

"I've always been deeply opposed to crypto, bitcoin, etc," Dimon said during a Senate Banking Committee hearing when asked by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., about his opinion on why crypto could be an attractive tool for bad actors.

"If I was the government, I'd close it down," Dimon continued, noting that crypto can bypass government controls. 

Dimon has not been shy about his dismay for crypto over the years and has said before that people should stay away from bitcoin. He's also said stablecoins need to be properly regulated.

His comments came as lawmakers in Washington are working to reign in the industry, with Sen. Warren pushing for her bill, the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act, that aims to extend Bank Secrecy Act requirements including know-your-customer rules to crypto miners, validators, wallet providers and others. 

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Anti-money laundering rules

Warren also asked the panel of bank executives, including Wells Fargo & Company CEO Charles Scharf, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, if they agreed that crypto should follow the same anti-money laundering rules that their banks follow. 

"Absolutely," they all replied. 

"When it comes to banking policy, I am not usually holding hands with the CEOs of multibillion dollar banks, but this is a matter of national security," Warren said. 


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About Author

Sarah is a reporter at The Block covering policy, regulation and legal happenings. Before, Sarah was a reporter with CQ Legal writing about securities regulation, which is where she first started reporting on crypto. Sarah has also written for The Bond Buyer and American Banker, among other finance-related publications. She graduated from the University of Missouri and earned a degree in print and digital journalism. Sarah is based in Washington D.C., and is an avid coffee lover. You can follow her on Twitter @ForTheWynn.

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