France’s second-largest banking group, BPCE, has begun letting selected customers trade crypto directly in its mobile apps. The service, launched Monday for users of Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne, allows roughly 2 million customers across four regional banks to buy and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and USDC.
The rollout is limited and measured. Initial availability covers branches including Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur for Caisse d’Épargne and Île-de-France for Banque Populaire. BPCE will monitor usage closely to resolve technical issues and refine the user experience before wider distribution. If successful, the bank plans to extend the feature to its remaining 25 regional entities by 2026, potentially reaching about 12 million retail clients.
BPCE created a separate unit, Hexarq, to manage customers’ crypto accounts. Each user gets an in-app digital-asset account that remains within the bank’s custody rather than routing to external exchanges or third-party wallets. The service charges a monthly custody fee of €2.99 and a trading commission of 1.5% per transaction.
The move responds in part to pressure from fintech competitors that built early crypto offerings and drew younger retail customers. Firms such as Revolut, Deblock, Bitstack and Trade Republic helped set expectations for in-app crypto services. Traditional European banks have started to follow: BBVA supports Bitcoin and Ethereum, Openbank (Santander) lists multiple coins, and Raiffeisen in Vienna offers crypto via a partnership with Bitpanda. BPCE’s entry may accelerate similar initiatives among large lenders.
BPCE’s fees are higher than many crypto-first platforms, but many consumers may accept the cost for the convenience and perceived trust of holding crypto within their primary bank and linked accounts. For many users, integration with everyday banking services and institutional custody outweighs the appeal of the lowest possible fees.
