Convergence

Bank

FIRST

Scope

Banca

<p>In Italy crypto news, Banca Sella, the Italian banking group, has completed its formal notification process with the Bank of Italy and is cleared to launch regulated digital asset custody and transfer services in 2026, becoming the first Italian bank to offer crypto services under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework.</p>
<p>The bank, part of Gruppo Sella and one of Italy’s largest private independent banking groups with approximately 1.3 million customers and roughly €34Bn in group assets, positions itself ahead of domestic peers including Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit in building MiCA-compliant crypto infrastructure.</p>
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   <p><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f4a5.png" alt="💥"> BREAKING:<br><br><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f1ee-1f1f9.png" alt="🇮🇹"> €34 BILLION banking giant Banca Sella is becoming the FIRST Italian bank to offer Bitcoin &amp; crypto services under Europe’s MiCA regulations.<br><br>The bank has officially completed its approval process with the Bank of Italy and plans to launch crypto custody and… <a href="https://t.co/vYxaMnx9DU" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/vYxaMnx9DU</a></p>— Bitcoin professor (@Bitcoinprof0637) <a href="https://x.com/Bitcoinprof0637/status/2059630738199191665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">May 27, 2026</a>
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<p>The services will not roll out broadly at launch. Banca Sella is targeting specific customer categories in an initial phase, reflecting a deliberate, risk-controlled entry into digital asset services rather than a retail trading push.</p>
<p>Andrea Tessera, the bank’s managing director of digital banking, noted that “the evolution of payments toward instant, interoperable, and programmable models is redefining financial infrastructures at the European and global levels,” framing the launch as infrastructure alignment rather than product expansion.</p>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="banca-sella-crypto-services-custody-and-transfer-model-regulatory-authorization-and-customer-scope">Banca Sella Crypto Services: Custody and Transfer Model, Regulatory Authorization, and Customer Scope</h2>
<p>In Italy crypto news today, Banca Sella is focusing on a narrow service offering that includes digital asset custody, receipt, and transfer, with no plans for spot trading, brokerage, or lending services.</p>
<p>This approach positions the bank as an infrastructure and custody provider rather than an exchange. Specific assets, minimum investment thresholds, or fee structures have not been announced ahead of the 2026 launch.</p>
<p>The bank’s authorization process is noteworthy; under MiCA regulations, licensed banks like Banca Sella can notify their national regulators, such as the Bank of Italy, 40 business days before offering services, avoiding the more burdensome full licensing required for standalone crypto firms.</p>
<p>Banca Sella has also been involved in the Bank of Italy’s Fintech Milano Hub since 2022, developing expertise in distributed ledger and blockchain technology in preparation for this authorization.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="italy-crypto-regulation-mica-s-notification-pathway-oam-registration-history-and-why-this-is-a-compliance-milestone">Italy Crypto Regulation: MiCA’s Notification Pathway, OAM Registration History, and Why This Is a Compliance Milestone</h2>
<p>Before Banca Sella’s authorization, Italian crypto activity was primarily handled by exchanges registered with OAM-Italy, keeping it largely outside the banking sector, unlike in Germany and France, where banks secured crypto custody licenses in 2023.</p>
<p>The EU finalized MiCA in 2023, establishing a regulatory framework that Banca Sella is now implementing, simplifying compliance for banks offering crypto services. The Bank of Italy prefers bank-led crypto adoption focused on tokenized financial instruments and regulated stablecoins.</p>
<p>Banca Sella’s approach mirrors HSBC’s entry into crypto custody in Hong Kong, where traditional banks leveraged existing regulatory relationships, indicating that compliance, rather than product demand, constrains traditional bank crypto adoption.</p>
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   <p>Italy's Banca Sella just became the first Italian bank approved under MiCA to offer crypto custody &amp; transfers <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f440.png" alt="👀"><br><br>Europe's banking system isn't watching anymore it's integrating.<br><br>Custody. Stablecoins. Cross-border settlement. The rails are being built quietly <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24XRP&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$XRP</a><a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24RLUSD&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$RLUSD</a><a href="https://t.co/0Aa34DfisO" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/0Aa34DfisO</a></p>— 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸XRP (@BankXRP) <a href="https://x.com/BankXRP/status/2059617025098699261?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">May 27, 2026</a>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="first-mover-position-in-italian-banking-qivalis-consortium-euro-stablecoin-development-and-european-tradfi-crypto-convergence">First-Mover Position in Italian Banking: Qivalis Consortium, Euro Stablecoin Development, and European TradFi-Crypto Convergence</h2>
<p>Banca Sella’s first-mover status in Italy is significant, as it is a founding member of Qivalis, a consortium of 37 European banks developing a euro-backed stablecoin.</p>
<p>This positions the bank as part of a broader infrastructure play beyond domestic custody services. The recent addition of 25 banks to Qivalis indicates growing institutional weight as MiCA’s stablecoin provisions near full implementation.</p>
<p>The MiCA notification pathway has been documented and tested, offering a potential template for EU banks to enter custody without extensive trading infrastructure.</p>
<p>Globally, banks such as JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley are expanding their digital asset offerings, underscoring a trend toward increased investment in digital infrastructure. Banca Sella’s move positions Italian banking in line with the trend of institutional adoption.</p>
<p><em>The author does not hold or have a position in any securities discussed in the article. All prices were quoted at the time of writing.</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://tokenist.com/italy-crypto-banca-sella-first-italian-bank-crypto-services/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Banca Sella Becomes the First Italian Bank to Launch Crypto Services</a> appeared first on <a href="https://tokenist.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Tokenist</a>.</p>

Banca Sella Becomes the First Italian Bank to Launch Crypto Services

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