Spain’s Second-Largest Bank BBVA To Offer Customers Bitcoin, Ethereum Trading

The second largest bank in Spain, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), will soon enable customers to buy, sell and manage Bitcoin and Ethereum transactions through the app.

The service will initially be rolled out to “a small group of users” and gradually expanded to all private customers of the bank in Spain in the coming months.

The relocation follows BBVA that meets all the requirements of the EU markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MICA) and the completion of the necessary formalities with the Spanish Securities and Exchange Commission (CNMV).

The bank did not say when it intends to roll out the service for customers other than those who have registered for private banking, which means that the new functions are only relevant to those who can prove that they can meet the wealth requirements of the bank, at least in the short term.

BBVA has been offering similar services in Switzerland since 2021, but again only for customers of the group, and in Turkey (via the subsidiary of Garanti BBVA Kripto) since January 2025.

Banks and Crypto

With the exception of Revolut, which already offered crypto-trade to retail consumers in 2017 in many markets, it is still quite unusual to see a regular banking bank-in-hand-to-institutional customers offer. BBVA is one of The largest European banks per assets.

Some banks already offer a mix of crypto trade and traditional banking services, such as those of Switzerland Dukascopy BankBut many like Switzerland’s AminaBrand themselves explicitly as ‘crypto banks’.

But even if they do not offer a crypto trade to their customers, more established historical European banks Crypto services offer the introduction of Mica more regulatory clarity.

Last month, Multinational Bank Standard Chartered announced a new entity based in Luxembourg, which offers Crypto and Digital Asset Custody Services in the European Union.

In the meantime, other recognizable European banks are making significant bitcoin purchases to add to their company treasures. In January, the largest bank of Italy, Intesa Sanpaolo, bought 11 BTC worth € 1 million ($ 1 million) and became the first Italian bank that makes direct investment in the cryptocurrency.