Raiffeisen expands crypto trading to 11 European markets via Bitpanda
In brief
- Raiffeisen Bank International partners with Bitpanda for crypto services across 11 European markets
- Bitpanda Enterprise provides infrastructure; individual banks set offerings per local regulations
- Partnership could reach approximately 18 million customers across Central and Eastern Europe
- Rollout remains early-stage as Raiffeisen CEO cites growing customer demand for digital assets
Expanding Access Across 18 Million Customers
The partnership could potentially reach about 18 million customers across Raiffeisen's footprint. The rollout remains at an early stage and will proceed gradually as each bank navigates its own regulatory landscape. This isn't a one-size-fits-all deployment — each institution will chart its own course.
Raiffeisen CEO Michael Höllerer said the bank is seeing growing demand for crypto assets across its markets. The move reflects a broader institutional appetite for digital assets in regions where traditional finance and crypto are converging. Höllerer framed the partnership as customer-centric, responding to market signals rather than imposing a top-down mandate.
Building on Prior Integration
The partnership builds on a crypto integration launched with Austria's Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien in 2024. That earlier pilot proved the infrastructure could work within Raiffeisen's systems. Now the network is scaling the model across 11 markets.
Bitpanda, which is authorized under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), brings regulatory standing to the deal. MiCA compliance matters — it signals to both banks and regulators that this infrastructure meets EU standards for digital asset services. Each Raiffeisen bank can now offer crypto trading without building its own compliance and custody layer from scratch.
