Spanish banking giant BBVA has become the first major lender in the country to roll out 24/7 retail cryptocurrency trading, giving its customers direct access to Bitcoin and Ether through its existing digital banking platforms.
The service, approved by Spain’s securities regulator CNMV, marks a milestone in the integration of digital assets into Europe’s traditional financial system.
BBVA, Spain’s second-largest bank with more than $900 billion in assets under management and nearly 70 million clients worldwide, announced that customers will be able to buy, sell, and manage Bitcoin and Ether directly via its mobile application.
The new offering is fully integrated into the same rails BBVA already uses for foreign exchange, providing users with a familiar environment for trading.
Initially, the service will be available to a limited number of clients before expanding across Spain in the coming months.
With MiCA in Effect, BBVA Leads European Banks Into Retail Crypto Adoption
The initiative is supported by Singapore-based SGX FX, whose technology allows aggregation, pricing, distribution, and risk management for financial institutions.
SGX FX, which operates data centers across London, New York, Tokyo, and Singapore, has worked with BBVA to ensure the system matches the operational standards of global FX markets.
According to SGX FX chief operating officer Vinay Trivedi, the integration allows banks to move quickly into digital assets “without the need for a full stack replacement.”
BBVA will manage customer holdings using its in-house cryptographic key storage platform rather than relying on external providers.
While the service will offer users a secure and user-friendly interface, BBVA emphasized that customers will retain full control over their investments, as the bank will not provide advisory services.
Luis Martins, BBVA’s global head of macro trading, described digital assets as an increasingly integral part of global finance and said the bank’s clients want access to them within the same trusted system they already use.
Gonzalo Rodríguez, head of retail banking at BBVA Spain, added that the goal is to simplify the process for customers by making crypto investing “fully digital and accessible directly from mobile phones,” while ensuring it remains underpinned by the security of a major bank.
The move has been made possible under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which provides a uniform framework for crypto services across the bloc.
Market observers see BBVA’s launch as potentially the first in a series of similar steps by other European financial institutions.
In June, the bank introduced Bitcoin and Ether trading and custody capabilities for retail customers within its proprietary mobile platform, operating without relying on external service providers or third-party custodial solutions.
The move places BBVA ahead of many of its European peers in integrating retail crypto trading.
Earlier this year, Belgium’s KBC Bank announced plans to introduce Bitcoin and Ether investments through its Bolero platform, pending regulatory approval, while Deutsche Bank has pursued Ethereum rollup technology and Société Générale has issued a euro-backed stablecoin.
Globally, bank-level integration of crypto is accelerating. In Hong Kong, CMB International Securities, a subsidiary of China Merchants Bank, launched crypto trading in August, offering Bitcoin, Ether, and Tether under the city’s new stablecoin ordinance.
In the United States, Morgan Stanley is preparing to launch digital asset trading for E-Trade clients in 2026, beginning with Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana.
At a time when more than 60 banks across Europe are experimenting with crypto services.
BBVA Leverages Ripple and Binance to Build Compliant Digital Asset Services
Spanish banking giant BBVA is stepping deeper into digital assets, expanding both its investment advice and custody offerings in 2025.
In June, the bank began advising its wealth management clients to allocate between 3% and 7% of their portfolios to cryptocurrencies, depending on risk tolerance. Philippe Meyer, head of digital and blockchain solutions at BBVA Switzerland, said higher allocations were reserved for clients with a stronger appetite for volatility.
By August, BBVA entered into a custody arrangement with Binance, allowing clients to store assets with the bank rather than directly on the exchange.
Under the deal, BBVA holds client funds in U.S. Treasuries, which Binance accepts as collateral for trading. The structure is designed to reduce counterparty risk and avoid failures similar to those seen in past exchange collapses.
The partnership places BBVA alongside firms like Sygnum and FlowBank, which Binance previously tapped as independent custodians. Observers note that BBVA’s brand strength makes it easier for institutions to conduct due diligence.
In September, BBVA further expanded its crypto footprint by teaming up with Ripple. The bank will integrate Ripple’s institutional-grade custody technology to manage Bitcoin and Ether holdings for Spanish retail clients, strengthening its push into compliant digital asset services.
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