Garanti BBVA Kripto will allow Garanti BBVA customers to buy and sell cryptocurrencies legally in Turkey.
5th Largest Bank in Turkey to Launch Crypto Trading Service
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European Banks Expanding Services to Include Crypto
Turkey’s fifth largest bank, Garanti BBVA is set to launch its crypto trading services for retail users via its crypto custody platform, Garanti BBVA Kripto. Owned by Spanish banking giant, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Garanti BBVA will partner with Bit2me, a crypto exchange founded in Spain as the bank’s trading execution center.
According to data from Triple-A, Turkey ranks as the third-largest market globally for cryptocurrency adoption, underscoring the growing demand for digital assets. With the European Union’s markets in crypto-assets regulation (MiCA) fully going into effect on Dec. 30, 2024, it is believed that traditional financial institutions can confidently enter the digital asset market because of MiCA’s strong legal framework for cryptocurrencies.
Leif Ferreira, co-founder and CEO at Bit2me said:
2025 marks the starting gun for banks to offer crypto buy/sell services. We are collaborating with over 50 financial institutions to help them launch their crypto products this year.
In addition, Abel Peña, CSO at Bit2me emphasized that “Banks worldwide will play a key role in normalizing access to bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. Financial institutions ensure bitcoin’s growth becomes unstoppable, proving that technology knows no borders.”
Due to the MiCA crypto framework, financial institutions like BBVA can now obtain approval from home regulators and offer their European clients exposure to bitcoin ( BTC), ethereum ( ETH), and other cryptocurrencies. MiCA proponents insist it will enable a safe, regulated, and easy-to-use digital asset management platform for millions of European retail crypto users.
BBVA’s crypto service launch in Turkey follows earlier moves by European banks to gain crypto exposure. Deutsche Bank, Germany’s biggest multinational investment bank has been exploring Ethereum using ZKsync technology along with providing banking services for Crypto.com in key markets.
