Four months after we reported that Goldman Sachs is preparing to launch a cryptocurrency trading desk, an announcement which coincided with bitcoin trading near its all time highs just shy of $20,000, the bank announced that in its first official expansion to this (r)evolutionary new venture, Goldman has hired Justin Schmidt as head of digital asset markets to help it navigate client interest in trading bitcoin and other crypto assets, and to allow clients gain exposure to cryptocurrencies.

Schmidt, 38, joined the securities division in New York as a VP and head of digital asset markets, said bank spokeswoman Tiffany Galvin-Cohen. He previously worked at quantitative trading firms Seven Eight Capital LLC and WorldQuant LLC and has computer science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to his LinkedIn profile.

"In response to client interest in various digital products, we are exploring how best to serve them in the space," Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman, said in a statement Friday. "At this point, we have not reached a conclusion on the scope of our digital asset offering."