Santander’s digital bank adds Bitcoin, Ether and more, with Spain rollout set to follow in weeks
Manuel Esteban/Shutterstock and Adobe modified by Blockworks
Openbank, the digital banking arm of Grupo Santander, has introduced cryptocurrency trading for customers in Germany.
According to a company press release, the service will allow clients to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Polygon and Cardano directly within their existing accounts, without transferring funds to external platforms. The company said that the launch will also extend to Spain in the coming weeks.
The rollout is backed by the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which provides a standardized framework for investor protection across the bloc. Openbank secured its MiCA license earlier this year, joining peers such as BBVA and Cecabank in leveraging the new regime.
Blockworks previously reported that MiCA is accelerating the entry of traditional European banks into digital assets. The regulation, which harmonizes rules for custody, trading and issuance across the EU, is designed to reduce fragmentation and give institutions legal certainty. Openbank’s rollout builds on that trend, showing how incumbent banks are now positioning themselves against crypto-native exchanges under a common regulatory framework.
Customers will pay a 1.49% transaction fee, with a minimum of €1 per operation, while custody remains free of charge. Over the coming months, Openbank suggested that it plans to add more tokens and enable crypto-to-crypto conversions. This new initiative follows the bank’s broader expansion into digital investment tools, including its AI-driven brokerage platform and access to thousands of equities, funds and ETFs.
This is a developing story.
This article was generated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by editor Jeffrey Albus before publication.
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