BBVA has become the first major Spanish bank to introduce round-the-clock retail cryptocurrency trading, offering customers direct access to itcoin">Bitcoin and Ether through its existing mobile banking app. The service, cleared by Spain’s securities regulator (CNMV), represents a significant milestone in the integration of digital assets into the country’s mainstream financial sector.
Spain’s second-largest lender, managing more than $900 billion in assets and serving nearly 70 million clients worldwide, will initially roll out the feature to a select group of customers before expanding it nationwide. The platform mirrors BBVA’s established foreign exchange trading system, providing a familiar environment for users to buy, sell, and manage their crypto holdings. Unlike third-party solutions, BBVA will rely on its own cryptographic storage infrastructure, ensuring security while giving clients full control over their assets.
The initiative has been developed in collaboration with Singapore-based SGX FX, whose technology supports aggregation, pricing, and risk management. According to SGX FX, the integration allows banks to move into digital asset markets without overhauling their existing systems. BBVA has emphasized that while the service provides a secure and user-friendly gateway to crypto markets, the bank will not offer investment advice.
Executives at BBVA view the move as a step toward aligning traditional finance with digital innovation under the EU’s new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. Retail banking head Gonzalo Rodríguez highlighted the bank’s goal of making crypto trading simple, fully digital, and accessible directly from mobile devices. Industry observers believe BBVA’s adoption could pave the way for other European banks to follow suit, signaling a broader shift in how financial institutions engage with digital assets.
