Raphael Bloch, cofounder and editor-in-chief of TheBigWhale, reported that starting Monday, customers of France’s Groupe BPCE can buy crypto assets through their bank. The first supported assets include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and USDC.
Bitcoin Rollout Starts With 2 Million BPCE Customers
In a recent X post, Bloch revelaed that the BPCE is rolling out the service in a first phase to clients of four regional entities. That group represents about 2 million customers out of more than 12 million across the bank’s network. The initial entities include Banque Populaire Île-de-France and Caisse d’Épargne Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
The bank plans to extend the service to other entities through 2026. The goal is to monitor how the service performs at launch. The phased approach allows BPCE to track usage and operational impact.
Customers will buy and sell through the Caisse d’Épargne and Banque Populaire apps. Trading will run through a dedicated digital-asset account built into the app experience. The account carries a monthly fee of €2.99.
Each transaction includes a 1.5% commission. A minimum fee of €1 applies per transcation. The pricing model puts recurring and per-trade charges into a single retail offering.
Hexarq Authorization Supports BPCE Launch
The rollout comes after an earlier regulatory milestone involving BPCE’s digital-asset structure. Hexarq secured authorization to offer digital-asset services and will take over leadership of BPCE’s efforts. The subsidiary paints the group as being well-positioned to scale a consumer product after years of relatively little public activity in crypto.
European banks are increasing digital-asset services as fintech rivals attract large user bases. Apps such as Revolut, DeblockApp, Bitstack, and Trade Republic have expanded crypto access for retail clients. Banks are responding to protect customer relationships inside their own platforms.
Some banking groups prioritize corporate and high-net-worth offerings. Others focus on retail products to limit churn and add new users. A banker active in the sector said both retention and acquisition are key drivers.
Spanish banks have moved earlier in retail crypto access. BBVA allows Spanish clients to buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin and Ethereum through its app, with in-house custody and 24/7 trading. Santander has opened access to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Polygon and Cardano for retail clients in Europe. All services will be provided by the bank’s recently-launched digital arm Openbank. It is offering custody as well as transparent fees for trading.
Source: https://coingape.com/1-3t-bpce-to-roll-out-bitcoin-eth-and-sol-trading-for-clients/
