Key Takeaways
– BPCE will let customers buy Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, and USDC directly through its banking apps in a phased rollout starting with about 2 million clients.
– The rollout begins at four of the group’s 29 regional banks, including Banque Populaire Île-de-France and Caisse d’Épargne Provence‑Alpes‑Côte d’Azur, with full expansion planned through 2026 as the bank monitors early performance.
BPCE, France’s second‑largest banking group, will begin allowing customers to buy Bitcoin and other major digital assets next Monday. The service launches at four regional banks and targets roughly two million clients before a staged expansion to the rest of the group’s entities through 2026.
Purchases and sales will take place inside customers’ existing BPCE banking apps via a dedicated digital asset account. The account carries a monthly fee of €2.99 and a 1.5% trading fee. Hexarq, BPCE’s crypto subsidiary, will manage account operations.
Hexarq obtained PSAN authorization to operate digital asset services nearly a year ago and will lead the group’s push into crypto after years of a cautious stance. The rollout comes as France accelerates implementation of the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) rules and attracts international crypto firms under its evolving regulatory regime.
