NEW YORK: Jenny Sur­a­ne, Laura J. Keller JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America Corp, America’s two largest banks, said they’re halting purchases of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on their credit cards. JPMorgan, which will implement the ban Saturday, doesn’t want the credit risk associated with the transactions, said Mary Jane Rogers, a spokeswoman for the firm.

Bank of America told staff in a memo that it will start declining credit card transactions with known crypto exchanges today. The policy applies to all personal and business credit cards issued by the bank. The move doesn’t affect debit cards, according to Betty Riess, a spokeswoman for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender.

Allowing purchases of cryptocurrencies can create big headaches for card lenders, which can be left on the hook if a borrower bets wrong and can’t repay. Banks also are required by regulators to monitor customer transactions for signs of money laundering.

—Bloomberg/Washington Post Service

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2018