I think the big financial players - including the world's biggest banks - are trying to co-opt blockchain technology. They view cryptocurrencies as being just like every other currency (dollars, yen, euros, whatever) or financial asset, and they want a "cut" of this market. They are financial intermediaries, and they want to be in the "middle" of any market (preferably, collecting money from both buyers and sellers). I'm very wary of any big company that tries to stockpile patents - it's not a sign of innovation, it's a sign that they plan to wage legal battle on anyone who intrudes on their turf. "patent wars" are never good.