JPMorgan has hired Oliver Harris to lead its Kinexys blockchain division as it expands its digital asset strategy.
Harris, a former Goldman Sachs executive, returns to JPMorgan with experience in tokenisation and blockchain infrastructure, including founding a real estate tokenisation startup.
“Tokenisation does not equal liquidity,”
Said Oliver Harris, arguing that simply putting assets onchain does not automatically make them easier to trade.
Instead, Harris advocates building a global settlement layer that integrates money, assets and data into a unified blockchain-based system.
He said the technology and regulatory environment are now mature enough for institutions to move beyond pilot projects and begin replacing legacy financial infrastructure.
At Kinexys, Harris is expected to focus on scaling digital settlement systems and connecting public and private blockchains to support institutional use cases.
The appointment reflects growing momentum among major banks to modernise market infrastructure, with blockchain seen as a foundation for the next phase of financial systems.