The Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp, the holding company for New York-based Metropolitan Commercial Bank, announced it is completely exiting its crypto-assets vertical.
In its statement, the corporation said its decision reflects recent developments in the crypto-asset industry, along with changes in the regulatory landscape regarding banks’ involvement in crypto-asset-related businesses.
According to MCB, the process has been ongoing since 2017, and it expects little financial impact. It currently has four active institutional crypto-asset-related clients, which account for around 1.5% of total revenues and 6% of total deposits.
This development comes alongside the ongoing proceedings from the FTX case that have kept the spotlight on the crypto industry.
Experts forecast increased scrutiny from regulators in the United States toward the space in the upcoming year, especially with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Internal Revenue Service seeking to increase crypto regulations and oversight.
On Jan. 3, the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released a joint statement regarding crypto assets in light of the crypto-chaos in 2022. It also highlighted their commitment to grounded banking practices.
