BPCE launches Bitcoin trading service, 2 million European customers to gain access to crypto assets

Source: Criptonoticias Original Title: Bitcoin conquers a European banking giant Original Link: https://www.criptonoticias.com/comunidad/adopcion/bitcoin-gigante-bancario-europeo-bpce/

Content Overview

European financial giant BPCE (one of France’s leading financial institutions) will begin offering retail customers the ability to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies.

Pilot Phase Details

The service will launch on December 8, allowing users to directly buy and sell BTC, Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and the stablecoin USDC via the apps of its regional entities.

In the initial pilot phase, the service will be available to around 2 million customers across 4 of the group’s 29 entities, including Banque Populaire Île-de-France and Caisse d’Épargne Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

Service Fee Structure

The entity will implement this service through dedicated digital asset accounts, with the following fees:

• Monthly fee: €2.99
• Transaction commission: 1.5% per transaction, with a minimum fee of €1

Implementation and Expansion Plans

The service is managed by BPCE’s digital asset subsidiary Hexarq, which also focuses on tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).

BPCE plans to gradually roll out this service across other branches throughout 2026, aiming to monitor its performance during the launch and expand access to 12 million customers.

Broader European Trends

This development reflects the growing interest of the European banking sector in the digital asset ecosystem, with other similar initiatives including:

• Qivalis: bringing together ten major European banks to jointly develop a euro-pegged stablecoin
• DekaBank and Boerse Stuttgart Digital: working to accelerate the integration of Bitcoin into German retail banking