July 30 (Reuters) - U.S. banking giant JPMorgan ( JPM )

on Wednesday partnered with Coinbase to allow customers

to fund their wallets using its Chase credit cards and buy

cryptocurrency on the exchange starting in fall 2025.

Once viewed warily by traditional financial institutions,

the digital assets industry has gained enough traction among

consumers and investors that large banks are now entering the

space.

From custody services to card-linked purchases, financial

heavyweights are increasingly offering crypto-related products

and mulling new use cases for the tokens, signaling how far the

once-nascent market has matured.

The cryptocurrency market recently touched a $4 trillion

valuation and is expected to grow further as regulatory clarity

in major markets such as the United States drives broader

adoption.

"Beginning in 2026, you'll be able to directly link your

Chase account to Coinbase," the cryptocurrency exchange said in

a blog post.

Starting in 2026, Chase customers will be able to redeem

credit card reward points for USDC, a U.S. dollar-pegged

stablecoin, and directly link their bank accounts to Coinbase to

fund crypto purchases.

Stablecoins are a type of token designed to shield users

from price volatility and are widely used as a bridge between

traditional finance and digital assets.

With rising demand for low-cost, instant transactions,

stablecoins are poised for rapid growth as adoption spreads

across payments, trading and emerging financial platforms.

Earlier this month, PNC said it was working with

Coinbase to offer crypto trading to the bank's customers.

Coinbase shares were last up 3% in premarket trading. They

have surged about 50% so far this year, giving the crypto

exchange a market value of about $95 billion and helping it

secure a spot in the benchmark S&P 500 index, a milestone for

the industry.