Despite all the risk/margin worries, and volatility fearmongering, and fraud allegations, Bloomberg reports that, according to a person familiar, Goldman Sachs plans to clear bitcoin futures contracts when they go live next week.

“Given that this is a new product, as expected we are evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process,” Tiffany Galvin, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in an emailed statement.

Shortly later a Goldman spokesman confirmed the report, stating that the bank is planning to clear bitcoin futures for some clients as the new contracts go live on exchanges in the coming days.

The bank, which helps clients buy and sell derivatives, is "evaluating the specifications and risk attributes for the bitcoin futures contracts as part of our standard due diligence process," Tiffany Galvin, the Goldman Sachs spokeswoman said

Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein said last month that it’s too early for his bank to need a bitcoin strategy and that he doesn’t consider the digital currency to be a store of value.

Blankfein said in the Bloomberg Television interview that he felt no urgency for his firm to develop a plan for dealing with bitcoin given its volatility.

Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc. won’t immediately offer clearing of the products when they start trading, people briefed on those lenders’ decisions said. The Wall Street Journal reported the banks’ decisions earlier Thursday. However, we are dead ceratin that Goldman's confirmation will bring the rest quite quickly to market as the last thing banks can afford , is to lose even more market share to the bank that already controls most of it anyway.