Raiffeisen expands crypto push across European banking network

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Raiffeisen expands crypto push

Highlights

Raiffeisen Bank International is expanding its crypto partnership with Bitpanda.
The network spans 11 Central and Eastern European markets.
Individual Raiffeisen banks will decide how and when to launch services.

Bitpanda Enterprise will provide the technology behind the planned services, which could eventually reach about 18 million customers across 11 markets, according to Cointelegraph. The rollout remains at an early stage and will proceed market by market, depending on local demand and regulatory requirements.

Raiffeisen extends earlier crypto integration

The agreement expands a relationship that already brought cryptocurrency investing to part of the Raiffeisen network. In 2024, Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien introduced crypto services using Bitpanda infrastructure, providing an early test of how digital assets could be incorporated into traditional banking channels.

The new arrangement takes that model to the wider RBI group. Raiffeisen Bank International operates subsidiary banks in 11 Central and Eastern European markets and reports roughly 18.8 million customers, around 42,000 employees, and approximately 1,300 business outlets as of mid-2026.

Rather than imposing one crypto product across the group, Raiffeisen is leaving implementation to its individual banks. That means the number of supported assets, product structure, and launch dates may differ between countries.

Regulation shapes the rollout

The expansion comes as European banks increase their involvement in regulated digital-asset services. Banks accounted for almost 23% of providers on the EU MiCA register in September, up from roughly 17% in late June, based on an analysis of European Securities and Markets Authority data.

Bitpanda already supplies digital asset infrastructure to financial institutions that want to integrate investment services without building the underlying trading and custody systems themselves. Its enterprise platform supports crypto and other asset products for partner institutions.

MiCA has also created a common regulatory framework for crypto services across the European Union, although national implementation and individual banks’ compliance requirements continue to influence product launches.

Crypto moves deeper into traditional banking

The significance of the Raiffeisen Bank International agreement lies less in an immediate group-wide launch than in its potential scale. Giving 11 subsidiary banks access to common infrastructure could make crypto trading available through established banking relationships rather than requiring customers to open accounts with standalone exchanges.

Raiffeisen Bank International’s decision also reflects a wider shift in European banking. As more regulated institutions add crypto services, competition is moving from specialist platforms toward banks that already control large customer networks.

For Raiffeisen, the next stage will depend on which subsidiary banks proceed and what services regulators permit in each market. Until those decisions are announced, the potential reach of roughly 18 million customers remains a ceiling rather than a confirmed user base.

We have previously highlighted that EU banks expand crypto services under MiCA as the share of listed providers reaches 23%.

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