U.S. multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs thinks the native crypto of the Ethereum blockchain has what it takes to unseat bitcoin as the dominant store of value crypto.
According to a report by Business Insider on Tuesday, the bank believes etherâs use cases currently possess the highest âpotential,â being the most popular development platform for smart contracts.
The report cited Goldmanâs Tuesday note to clients which, while bullish on ether, denied cryptosâ superiority to gold when it came to taking the top spot among safe-haven assets.
âGold is competing with crypto to the same extent it is competing with other risky assets such as equities and cyclical commodities,â the note said. âWe view gold as a defensive inflation hedge and crypto as a risk-on inflation hedge.â
Goldman also said competition among cryptocurrencies represented another risk factor that prevents the nascent asset class from being safe places to park oneâs investment.
The comments echo last monthâs statements from the bankâs consumer and wealth management division, which concluded that cryptocurrencies were ânot a viable investmentâ for diversified portfolios.