BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has lodged documents with the US financial regulator to allow two of its funds to invest in bitcoin futures — an indication that the $7.8tn money manager has developed an appetite for exposure to the cryptocurrency.

The New York-based asset manager filed prospectus documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 20 January to give the go-ahead for the BlackRock Global Allocation Fund and the BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio to include cash-settled bitcoin futures as eligible investments.