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Here's what 6 of the most powerful Wall Streeters have to say about bitcoin

Oct 5, 2017, 22:38 IST

A chain of block erupters used for Bitcoin mining is pictured at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California Oct. 28, 2013.Reuters/Stephen Lam

By many measures, 2017 appears to be the year of cryptocurrency, but Wall Street's most powerful players are not on board with the craze.

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The market for cryptocurrencies, digital coins powered by so-called blockchain technology, is up by more than 720% since the beginning of this year, at $145 billion.

Bitcoin, the first and largest cryptocurrency, is up more than 450% since the beginning of the year. It is seen as the most crowded trade to a pool of 214 fund managers overseeing $629 billion, according to a survey conducted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

At the same time, initial coin offerings, a cryptocurrency-based fundraising method, have taken off with hundreds of startups using the method to raise, in some instances, millions of dollars in a matter of seconds.

On top of that, over 75 crypto "hedge funds" have popped up to invest in the more than 1,000 cryptocurrencies on the market and initial coin offerings.

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The massive growth of the market has piqued the interest of folks from Main Street to Wall Street, but Wall Street's top execs - who have seen their fair share of bubbles - are concerned.

Since the beginning of the month, a number of top Wall Streeters have weighed in on the bitcoin debate. Here's what six of them have had to say:

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