- Raiffeisen Bank International is expanding its crypto services through a group-wide partnership with Bitpanda, potentially reaching around 18 million customers.
- Bitpanda Enterprise will provide the digital asset infrastructure, while individual RBI network banks will determine which crypto services they offer based on local regulations.
- The service is already live in Austria, with wider rollout planned for Albania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia during the first half of 2027.
Raiffeisen Bank International is expanding its cryptocurrency offering through a new group-wide partnership with European crypto platform Bitpanda.
Bitpanda Enterprise will provide the digital asset infrastructure needed for banks across RBI’s network to introduce crypto services.
The expansion could eventually make digital asset services available across a customer base of approximately 18 million people in Central and Eastern Europe.
However, individual banks within the RBI network will decide which products to offer and when to launch them based on local market conditions and regulatory requirements.
Bitpanda Provides Crypto Infrastructure
RBI CEO Michael Höllerer said the banking group is seeing increasing demand for crypto assets across the markets where it operates.
“As a customer-centric bank, we are committed to meeting our customers’ needs in the best possible way,” Höllerer said.
The partnership expands on an earlier integration between Bitpanda and Austria’s Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien launched in 2024.
Crypto services are already available in Austria through that arrangement.
Bitpanda Enterprise provides infrastructure that allows financial institutions to integrate digital asset services into their existing products rather than building crypto systems entirely from scratch.
Crypto Rollout Expands Across Europe
RBI plans to begin a wider rollout of its crypto offering in Albania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia during the first half of 2027.
The expansion will remain dependent on individual market conditions and regulatory requirements.
Bitpanda operates under authorization from the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, or MiCA, providing a regulatory framework for its crypto services across the region.
The company said it is also regularly holding discussions with other banks and financial institutions exploring crypto brokerage services, although it declined to comment on confidential or ongoing negotiations.
Raiffeisen Targets Growing Crypto Demand
The agreement gives RBI a framework for expanding digital asset services across its banking network as customer demand for crypto grows.
Rather than introducing one identical offering across every market, individual RBI banks will be able to determine how crypto services are implemented locally.
For Bitpanda, the partnership provides another opportunity to distribute its infrastructure through a major traditional banking network.
With approximately 18 million customers across RBI’s operations, the broader rollout could significantly expand access to crypto services through established European banking channels.
