Austria-based Raiffeisen Bank International will reportedly start providing cryptocurrency trading services to its customers, leveraging an existing partnership with crypto exchange Bitpanda. The bank plans to roll out the services by the end of January 2024.
The bank said the services will be available to its retail customers. Furthermore, the announcement stated that the company will leverage its existing partnership with Bitpanda to provide the services. Earlier this year, Bitpanda signed a letter of intent with the bank.
According to the announcement, the services will be available only to customers in Vienna. “We are starting in Vienna, where about a quarter of Austria’s population lives,” Curt Chadha, the bank’s head of innovation, said in an interview.
He added, “The customer can use their mobile device to enter Bitpanda through the Raiffeisen app. The experience will be familiar, so confirming a trade will work exactly like an account-to-account bank transfer with the same sort of security customers are used to.”
Chadha noted that the services target digitally savvy customers looking for small-scale investments to pour money into. The executive added that the services will differ from similar offerings from other banks, which are aimed at high-end individuals with millions to invest.
Meanwhile, the recent push by the bank highlights growing crypto adoption in the European Union. While regulators are still weary of crypto-related activities, crypto adoption has pushed up, especially in countries with clarity around crypto offerings.
As earlier reported, in October, the European Securities and Markets Authority told crypto firms and national regulators to expect new regulations for the digital asset space. Furthermore, the regulator urged crypto companies to promptly seek operation authorization within the framework of the EU’s MiCA.
