Raiffeisen Bank International has partnered with Austrian crypto platform Bitpanda to bring digital asset trading to customers across 11 European markets, a move that could open cryptocurrency access to roughly 18 million banking clients.
A Major Push Into Retail Crypto
The agreement will see Bitpanda supply the underlying infrastructure that allows Raiffeisen's network banks to offer cryptocurrency trading directly to their customers. Rather than building the technology from scratch, the banking group is tapping an established regional player to accelerate its entry into the digital asset space.
The deal marks one of the larger institutional crypto integrations in Central and Eastern Europe, a region where traditional banks have historically been cautious about offering direct exposure to volatile digital assets.
Nearly 18 million customers could soon buy and sell crypto directly through their trusted bank.
Why Banks Are Warming to Digital Assets
The partnership reflects a broader shift among European financial institutions, which are increasingly moving to meet customer demand for regulated crypto services. Clearer rules under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework have given banks more confidence to expand into the sector without regulatory uncertainty.
For Bitpanda, the arrangement extends its reach as a business-to-business infrastructure provider, positioning the company as a key supplier of crypto services to legacy financial firms across the continent.
Key aspects of the collaboration include:
- Bitpanda providing the core trading and custody technology
- Access potentially reaching around 18 million customers
- Availability spanning 11 European markets served by Raiffeisen network banks
By integrating crypto directly into familiar banking channels, both firms are betting that customers prefer to access digital assets through institutions they already trust rather than standalone exchanges. The rollout signals that mainstream adoption in Europe may increasingly run through established banks rather than crypto-native platforms.