Mathew McDermott, global head of digital assets at Goldman Sachs (GS.N), said he expects blockchain-based asset trading volumes to rise "significantly" in the next year or two. McDermott said that as the market expects that U.S. securities regulators will soon approve applications for spot Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds), Goldman Sachs has also seen growing interest from clients in crypto derivatives trading.

Bitcoin is up more than 50% this quarter, but McDermott said he remains focused on developing digital assets beyond cryptocurrencies, including issuing blockchain-based tokens representing traditional assets such as bonds. He said that people have "huge demand" for digital assets and have "grown significantly" in the past 12 months; using blockchain can improve operational and settlement efficiency and "de-risk" financial markets; if through blockchain For securities trading on the blockchain, collateral and liquidity can be sent between parties faster and more accurately.