Swiss cantonal bank BancaStato has launched regulated cryptocurrency trading directly inside its existing banking app, the bank announced Thursday. The rollout, built with digital asset bank Sygnum and core banking provider Avaloq, lets customers buy, hold and sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Solana (SOL) without opening a separate exchange account. BancaStato serves Switzerland’s Italian-speaking Ticino region and has operated as a cantonal bank since 1915.
How the Integration Works
BancaStato customers can now place crypto orders from the same web and mobile app they already use for everyday banking and investments, according to Sygnum’s announcement. Orders can be sized by either the amount of crypto or the U.S. dollar value the customer wants to trade.
The integration runs on Sygnum’s business-to-business API, plugged directly into BancaStato’s Avaloq core banking environment. Sygnum handles trade execution and custody on its end, while BancaStato keeps the entire customer experience inside its own app. The bank did not need to build or run a separate order management system to offer the service.
The launch makes BancaStato the first bank on Avaloq’s software-as-a-service environment to offer Sygnum-powered crypto trading through this kind of API connection. Sygnum said the structure cuts technical complexity for the bank and gives it room to adjust trading features later without touching its core Avaloq systems. BancaStato is the latest of more than 25 financial institutions now using Sygnum’s B2B platform to offer regulated digital asset services.
What This Means for Banking Customers
For BancaStato’s customers, the change means crypto trading now sits next to a checking account balance instead of requiring a signup on a separate exchange. Custody stays with Sygnum, which holds client crypto off its own balance sheet and applies hardware and software controls, internal governance and external audits to the assets it holds.
That model is becoming more common across banks looking to benefit from cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, as banks look for ways to offer digital assets without building exchange infrastructure from scratch.
What to Watch Next
This is the first time Sygnum’s crypto trading has been built directly into Avaloq’s cloud banking system, rather than a bank’s own custom setup. Avaloq serves retail and private banks well beyond Switzerland, so the real question is whether other Avaloq clients copy this setup. Neither company has said which bank might be next, or given a timeline for adding coins beyond Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana.
What this means for you: More banks are letting customers trade crypto right inside their regular banking app, but the actual coins are usually held by a separate digital asset company behind the scenes, not the bank itself.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Do your own research before making any investment decisions.
