THE US asset manager Fidelity announced tuesday that it will allow employees contributing to their pensions to build up a portion of their savings in bitcoins. This new gesture contributes to the popularization of cryptocurrency despite the warnings of the authorities.

The U.S. asset manager estimates that about 80 million Americans own or have owned investments in digital currencies. Its new option will be available in the United States from the middle of the year. The approximately 23,000 companies that use Fidelity to manage their retirement funds (401k plans) will be able to decide to open this option to their employees.

Fidelity estimates that about 80 million Americans own or have owned investments in digital currencies. With $11.3 trillion in assets it manages on behalf of its clients, Fidelity is one of the world's largest financial services providers.