Big European Bank Raiffeisen to Offer Bitcoin Trading to 18M Customers
Austria's Raiffeisen partners with Bitpanda to let its 18.8 million customers buy and sell bitcoin directly through their bank.
One of Europe's biggest banks is about to let millions of everyday customers buy bitcoin. Austrian banking group Raiffeisen announced it will roll out bitcoin (a digital currency, also called cryptocurrency) trading to its 18.8 million customers.
To do this, Raiffeisen is teaming up with Bitpanda, a brokerage (a company that helps people buy and sell investments). This means customers won't need a separate crypto app — they'll be able to trade directly inside their normal banking service.
The bank says its customers are asking for this. CEO Michael Höllerer explained: *"We are seeing growing demand for crypto assets in our markets."* In simple terms, more and more people want to invest in crypto, and the bank wants to give them a safe, trusted way to do it.
Raiffeisen is not alone. Many major banks around the world have recently added crypto services, including:
- BBVA and Santander's Openbank (Spain)
- Germany's cooperative and savings banks
- SoFi, PNC, Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley (US)
The deal builds on an earlier project. Back in 2024, one Raiffeisen bank in Austria became the first traditional bank in the European Union to offer crypto trading inside its normal banking system, also using Bitpanda's technology. Now the whole group is adopting a single, unified approach instead of setting up deals country by country.
A few key facts about Raiffeisen:
- Around 42,000 employees
- 18.8 million customers
- Roughly 1,300 branches, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe
- Subsidiary banks in 11 countries
- Listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange
This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/raiffeisen-to-roll-out-bitcoin-trading