Banca Sella gets green light to provide crypto services to customers in Italian first

The fintech-forward private bank said it is the first Italian lender to get Bank of Italy approval under MiCA to offer digital asset custody and transfers.

What to know:

• Banca Sella said it secured a crypto services license from the Bank of Italy under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, clearing the way for it to offer digital-asset services later this year.
• The private lender plans to offer a platform for the custody, transfer and receipt of digital assets for selected corporate clients later this year.
• Sella joins about 20 major European banks already offering crypto services under MiCA and is a founding member of the Qivalis stablecoin initiative and EU tokenization projects such as Pontes and Appia aimed at strengthening the bloc’s financial autonomy.

Banca Sella said it became the first Italian lender to secure a crypto services license from the Bank of Italy under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.

The private bank, which has 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in assets under management and more than 3.1 million customers, said it completed a formal 40-day notification process, clearing it to roll out crypto services to clients later this year.

“Being approved as a crypto-asset services provider will enable Banca Sella to launch in 2026 a solution dedicated to the custody, transfer and receipt of digital assets aimed at selected categories of customers,” the bank said in a website statement.

While the bank’s initial retail crypto plans were routed through its mobile-banking venture, Hype. This new corporate-facing infrastructure relies on a compliance partnership with blockchain intelligence firm Chainalysis and an internal digital asset pilot initially built alongside Fireblocks.

Sella joins the roughly 20 major European banks offering crypto asset services under MiCA, including Germany’s Commerzbank and LBBW, France's Société Générale FORGE and Spain’s BBVA.

The bank is among the founders of Qivalis, a group of 37 European banks aiming to issue a euro-denominated stablecoin this year.

Sella said it is involved in EU tokenization of deposits and payments projects such as Pontes and Appia projects, which are aimed at bolstering the bloc’s financial autonomy.

“The evolution of payments toward instant, interoperable, and programmable models - also driven by the tokenization of currencies and assets - is redefining financial infrastructures at European and global level,” said Andrea Tessera, the bank's managing director of digital banking.

More For You

The payments giant said the approval supports its push into stablecoins and blockchain-based settlement infrastructure.

What to know:

• Mastercard has secured a New York BitLicense, allowing it to conduct digital asset activities under one of the toughest crypto regulatory regimes in the United States.
• The approval advances Mastercard’s strategy to build blockchain-based payments and settlement infrastructure, with a particular focus on stablecoins and tokenized deposits.
• The move highlights...

CoinDesk 20 performance update: Internet Computer (ICP) Jumps 9.8%

40 minutes ago

Mastercard secures New York BitLicense to support stablecoin and digital payment infrastructure

45 minutes ago

Solana DEX Orca launches new marketplace for tokenized real-world assets

1 hour ago

Live markets: Bitcoin remains under pressure as Korea's SK Hynix joins Micron in $1 trillion club

1 hour ago

Bitcoin gauge tracking selling pressure moves into 'high-risk' zone as ETF demand slumps

1 hour ago

Kraken unveils Bitcoin Vault, expanding yield push for BTC holders

2 hours ago

Whale alert: Someone dumped $1.29 billion of BlackRock's bitcoin ETF in a dark pool trade

5 hours ago

DeFi isn't safe anymore because AI is becoming 'superhuman' at hacking, security chief warns

5 hours ago

Crypto PACs spend $9 million in Texas and score wins in both parties

7 hours ago

Crypto participants once again prefer dollars over bitcoin. USDT, USDC dominance rises.

2 hours ago

Bitcoin clings to $75,000 support as bear market signals resurface

3 hours ago

Bitcoin vs gold: BTC's three-month uptrend has snapped

8 hours ago