Raiffeisen to Offer Crypto Trading in 11 EU Markets — SkimNews
Get the Finance newsletter
Daily finance — markets, central banks, M&A, the prints that move money. Free.
- Raiffeisen Bank International is partnering with crypto broker Bitpanda to offer retail crypto trading across 11 European markets, building on a 2024 crypto integration launched with Austria's Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien.
- The service is already live in Austria; an RBI spokesperson said wider rollout to Albania, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia will begin in the first half of 2027.
- Bitpanda operates under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and told Cointelegraph it is "regularly in discussions" with banks and financial institutions exploring crypto brokerage services, but declined to comment on specific active or confidential talks.
- Banks now account for 23% of the EU's MiCA-authorized crypto provider list, according to related Cointelegraph coverage — a doubling of their share on the register.
Why it matters: European banking customers across 11 markets will be able to buy and sell crypto directly through Raiffeisen's retail channels rather than standalone exchanges, with MiCA-regulated Bitpanda handling execution under the bloc's unified crypto framework. The staged rollout — Austria live today, three more CEE markets in H1 2027 — shows incumbent banks absorbing crypto brokerage on regulated rails instead of ceding it to fintechs.
Ask SkimNews
