JPMorgan Chase (JPM) may allow employees to use the Apple (AAPL) iPhone for work email, making the smartphone an alternative to the BlackBerry. JPMorgan is testing the iPhone as well as smartphones that use Google's (GOOG) Android software, Bloomberg News reported without naming its sources. A decision is expected later this year.

JPMorgan is the second-largest U.S. bank, with 220,000 employees worldwide. Swiss bank UBS is also considering allowing staff to use iPhones for work messaging. Standard Chartered Bank said in May that it's switching from BlackBerry to the iPhone.

The moves could be a blow to Research In Motion (RIMM), whose BlackBerry devices have long dominated the market for corporate smartphones. "This phenomenon is very new, and we expect it to put increased pressure on RIM's performance," Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd told Bloomberg News. "BlackBerry isn't the only alternative to offer employees mobile e-mail."