Banca Sella has become the first Italian bank to receive authorization to offer cryptocurrency services under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, completing its notification process with the Bank of Italy on May 27, 2026.
The Biella-based bank plans to launch custody and transfer services for digital assets before the end of 2026, targeting select customer categories.
Under MiCA, credit institutions can enter certain crypto-asset services through a notification process with their national regulator — a lighter path than the full licensing required for non-bank entities. Banca Sella filed its notification 40 days in advance, as required, and cleared the process without a full licensing review. The bank did not announce trading services; its initial offering centers on custody, receipt, and transfer of digital assets for corporate and institutional clients.
JUST IN: €34 billion Italian bank Banca Sella gets official approval to become the first bank in the country to offer Bitcoin and crypto custody services 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/Ovyme1eQbE— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) May 27, 2026
The move is the product of years of internal investment. Banca Sella participated in the Bank of Italy’s Fintech Milano Hub pilot program on distributed ledger technology beginning in 2022, and established a dedicated in-house DLT and Digital Assets team.
