French banking heavyweight BPCE is preparing to introduce crypto trading to millions of its retail customers, making it one of the first traditional European banks to offer digital assets.
According to a report by The Big Wheel, the group will allow users to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (Sol) and USDC (USDC) directly within its bank Poplar and Kaiser Daepargen mobile apps starting Monday.
The initial rollout will cover customers of four regional banks, including Banque Populaire l’Dei France and Cassie de Pepperguin Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur, reaching around 2 million customers. BPCE plans to gradually expand the service to its remaining 25 regional institutions during 2026, eventually making crypto trading available to its 12 million-strong retail base.
A bank insider reportedly told BigWheel that the phased approach is to monitor “how the service performs at launch” before scaling.
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BPCE paid in crypto accounts
According to the report, crypto purchases and sales will be handled through a dedicated digital asset account within the banking apps, managed by Hexark, BPCE’s crypto subsidiary. This account has a monthly fee of 2.99 euros ($3.48) and a 1.5% commission per trade, with a minimum of $1.16. Users will be able to access the service without the need for external exchanges or third-party wallets.
BPCE’s move comes as competition intensifies between traditional banks and crypto-friendly fintechs such as Revolut, Deblock, Bitstack and TradeRepublic, all of which are offering access to digital assets.
Several European institutions have taken similar steps. BBVA allows Spanish users to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin and Ether directly in its app, with in-country custody. Santander’s digital arm OpenBank offers trading and custody for five cryptocurrencies, while Rafison Bank’s Vienna-based unit partnered with BitPanda to bring crypto services to its retail clients.
Quintalgraphs reached out to BPCE for comment, but did not receive a response by publication.
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France to Tax Crypto as “Unproductive Wealth”
Last month, French lawmakers easily approved an amendment that would expand the country’s wealth tax to cover “non-productive assets,” which would include some real estate, luxury goods, and digital assets like crypto.
Under the amendment, individuals holding more than $2.3 million in qualifying “unproductive wealth” would face a new flat 1% tax, a change from today’s progressive real estate wealth tax. The expanded taxable base includes digital assets. The proposal must still pass the Senate as part of the 2026 budget process before becoming law.
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