Crypto Services Banks Will Offer by 2026

With the growth of the cryptocurrency market and the implementation of the MiCA regulation, the banking sector is at a turning point.

Milan, March 17, 2025 — The banking sector is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by the increasing adoption of cryptocurrencies and the opportunities they bring to traditional finance. With the global crypto market now exceeding $3 trillion, European banks can no longer afford to ignore digital assets.

A prime example is Intesa Sanpaolo which recently acquired 11 Bitcoin for approximately €1 million, marking the first direct cryptocurrency transaction by an Italian bank.

This milestone, coupled with the exponential growth of investors and the consolidation of the sector, makes the entry of financial institutions into the crypto-asset market inevitable. The MiCA regulation provides a clear regulatory framework, facilitating the adoption of crypto services by banks while ensuring a regulated environment for investors.

By 2026, European banks will be ready to offer their customers a range of digital asset services that comply with the new European market regulations. This transition represents a strategic opportunity for the banking sector to tap into a rapidly expanding market segment and strengthen its competitiveness in the evolving financial landscape.

Crypto Services Offered by Banks

What crypto services will European banks provide by 2026? They will focus on meeting the fundamental needs of customers in the crypto space: understanding the sector, buying and selling digital assets, securely storing them, and ensuring regulatory and tax compliance.

Banks will play a key role in making these services accessible and regulated, offering a reliable alternative to crypto platforms that have so far capitalized on the regulatory gap to dominate this emerging market.

• Trading Services: secure and regulated cryptocurrency purchase, sale, and exchange.
• Custody Services: secure custody accounts for individuals and businesses, ensuring compliance.
• Crypto Tax Management: specialized administrative services and tax advisory for compliance.
• Protocol Staking: support for validating Proof-of-Stake blockchains and managing staking rewards.
• Crypto Investment Advisory: analysis and strategic support for investors.
• Crypto Portfolio Management: actively managed crypto investment solutions.
• Crypto-Backed Loans: lending services backed by digital assets, following established financial collateral models.

These services will position banks as central players in the crypto ecosystem, offering secure and regulated solutions tailored to an increasingly aware and demanding clientele.

Cryptocurrency Trading Services

Banks will be able to provide crypto trading services that comply with MiCAR regulations, ensuring security and transparency. By adhering to the best execution approach and avoiding conflicts of interest common in existing exchanges, banks can offer a more reliable and institutional service. The revenue model will be based on transaction fees proportional to trading volumes or fixed per transaction, ensuring higher profitability compared to administrative trading models.

Cryptocurrency Custody Services

Bitcoin and other crypto-assets, being bearer instruments, require a secure and regulated custody service. Banks can play a key role in this area by offering crypto accounts and safeguarding clients’ digital assets in a supervised environment. Monetization of this service will be achieved through fees based on the amount stored or fixed charges.

Crypto Tax Compliance

Banks will simplify tax management for clients by offering tax withholding services, addressing the growing demand for compliance solutions in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. This service will ensure clients remain fully compliant with cryptocurrency tax regulations and can be offered as a paid service, leveraging the necessary expertise in fiscal compliance.

Staking Services for Proof-of-Stake Blockchains

For Proof-of-Stake-based crypto assets like Ethereum and Solana, banks can facilitate staking by handling the necessary technical operations on behalf of clients. This will enable investors to earn staking rewards within a secure institutional framework. Banks can also retain a portion of the generated rewards, contributing to the profitability of custodial assets.

Crypto Investment Advisory

With the introduction of the MiCA regulation, banks will be able to offer financial advisory services for the buying and selling of digital assets, assisting less-experienced investors in accessing the crypto world in an informed and secure manner. The revenue model will be fee-only, based on consultation fees.

Crypto Portfolio Management

Beyond advisory services, MiCA allows banks to offer actively managed crypto portfolio solutions, replicating well-established models from traditional banking. Revenues will come from entry and management fees.

Crypto-Backed Loans

Following the Lombard loan model, banks will be able to provide credit secured by cryptocurrencies. This business model, aligned with traditional credit structures, will allow banks to leverage the high liquidity of digital assets, expanding financing opportunities for customers.

The Cryptocurrency Market in Italy

The Italian crypto market is also experiencing strong growth. According to the latest data from OAM (as of late 2024), over 2.3 million Italian investors are active on exchange platforms, holding a total of €2.6 billion in crypto assets.

However, considering recent market developments and the increasing adoption of digital assets, it is estimated that the total value of cryptocurrencies held by Italian investors may have now reached €3–4 billion.

If, as some analysts suggest, cryptocurrencies eventually represent 2–3% of global financial wealth in the long term, the Italian market could surpass €100 billion in crypto assets. This would imply a 30-fold increase compared to current values.

The cryptocurrency market is thus rapidly expanding both in Europe and Italy. A significant portion of investors, currently waiting for greater institutionalization of crypto, may enter the market as soon as the regulatory framework is fully established. In this scenario, banks have the opportunity to take a leading role in facilitating this transition by offering secure and compliant tools to customers. However, the window of opportunity for financial institutions is limited.

By 2027, with the full adoption of MiCA, the market will reach a new equilibrium. Meanwhile, major exchange platforms are already applying for and obtaining banking licenses, expanding their reach and reducing the space for traditional banks. The risk for financial institutions is being sidelined in a rapidly growing sector, while new players solidify their positions in the digital asset market.

CheckSig Clear: A Secure Infrastructure for Banks’ Crypto Integration

In a landscape of increasing relevance and adoption of crypto assets by financial institutions and investors, CheckSig has launched CheckSig Clear, a technological infrastructure designed for banks and intermediaries looking to integrate crypto services securely, seamlessly, and in compliance with regulations.

CheckSig Clear provides banks and financial institutions with solutions aligned with the MiCA regulation, including an exclusive transparent custody solution featuring:

• Proof of Reserves with monthly verification
• SOC1 and SOC2 Type II attestations
• Insurance coverage to protect digital assets

According to Michele Mandelli, Managing Partner at CheckSig: “The growing adoption of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies by investors is a phenomenon the banking sector can no longer ignore. In the coming years, banks will play a crucial role in guiding and supporting less-experienced investors, providing services that ensure security and regulatory compliance.”

Mandelli concludes: “CheckSig Clear was created precisely with this goal in mind. With Clear, banks and intermediaries can offer their clients secure and regulated access to the crypto world, strengthening customer loyalty and attracting new ones. This is an opportunity financial institutions cannot afford to miss.”