Key Highlights
- Banco Santander, Europe’s fourth-largest bank, has launched retail cryptocurrency trading through its digital platform, OpenBank
- The service will be first available to the bank’s retail customers in Germany
- Customers can now manage crypto alongside traditional investments like stocks and ETFs in one place
Spain’s largest bank has begun offering digital asset trading services to its retail customers. Banco Santander, through its digital banking platform Openbank, now allows clients in Germany to buy, sell, and hold major cryptocurrencies directly through their existing bank accounts.
According to Bloomberg, Banco Santander, the largest bank in Spain and the fourth largest in Europe, has launched retail crypto trading via its online bank Openbank. Starting Tuesday, retail clients in Germany can trade BTC, ETH, LTC, MATIC, and ADA, with plans to expand the…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 16, 2025
The service, announced on September 16 by Santander Bank, initially supports five popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Polygon, and Cardano.
This integration of a crypto trading service shows a major milestone in the integration of traditional banking with the digital asset space. This integration will allow customers to manage both conventional investments and cryptocurrencies within the same banking application without needing to use external exchanges.
Santander Explores Booming Crypto Space
Openbank, which serves over 2 million customers across multiple countries, has integrated this new service seamlessly into its existing platform. Users can now access cryptocurrency trading alongside their traditional banking services, including stock trading, ETF investments, and fund management.
The bank charges a competitive 1.49% fee per transaction with a minimum fee of €1, making the service accessible to both small and large investors.
This strategic move is part of Santander’s long-term exploration of blockchain technology. The bank previously pioneered international payments using Ripple’s network in 2018 and successfully issued tokenized bonds on the Ethereum blockchain in 2023.
The launch comes after the full implementation of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which provides a comprehensive legal framework for cryptocurrency services across member states.
This regulatory clarity has given major financial institutions like Santander the confidence to enter the digital asset space while ensuring customer protections through requirements for asset segregation and operational transparency.
Coty de Monteverde, Head of Crypto at Grupo Santander, explained the bank’s reasoning: “By incorporating the main cryptocurrencies into our investment platform, we are responding to the demand of some of our customers and continue to strengthen a broad range of products and services through an agile, simple technology platform backed by one of the world’s leading financial groups.”
The bank plans to expand the service to Spanish customers in the coming weeks and to other European markets later in 2025.
The launch in Germany is a strategic choice. This launch aligns with a trend in the country’s banking sector. Other major German financial institutions, including DZ Bank and Deutsche Bank, have also recently announced or launched their own digital asset custody and trading services for retail customers.
This collective shift indicates a major European banking evolution, moving from cautious observation to active participation in the crypto ecosystem.
Banks Around the World Integrate Crypto-related Services
Santander’s entry into cryptocurrency trading shows a recent trend among traditional financial institutions. Major banks worldwide are increasingly integrating digital asset services in response to growing customer demand and regulatory developments.
In the United States, banks like JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have launched similar services, while in Asia, institutions like Singapore’s DBS Bank have become significant players in the crypto custody space.
This development is particularly major because it makes cryptocurrency investing accessible to more conservative investors who may have been hesitant to use specialized crypto exchanges.
By offering these services through an established, regulated bank, Santander provides an additional layer of trust and security for customers new to digital assets.
The service launch comes amid a period of growing institutional acceptance of cryptocurrencies globally. Under the current U.S. administration, regulatory policies have become more favorable toward digital assets, encouraging further integration between traditional finance and cryptocurrency markets.
However, international organizations like the IMF continue to caution about the potential risks associated with crypto investments, particularly regarding market volatility and financial stability.
For everyday banking customers, this development represents another step toward the normalization of digital assets within the conventional financial system. As more major banks follow Santander’s lead, cryptocurrency trading may become as commonplace as stock trading for retail investors, further blurring the lines between traditional and digital finance.
Also Read: Bit2Me Becomes First Spanish Fintech Approved Under MiCA Today
