Banking giant BBVA opens bitcoin trading and custody services in Switzerland

Spanish banking giant BBVA's swiss entity, BBVA Switzerland, has started offering bitcoin trading and custody services.

Announcing the news on Friday, BBVA Switzerland said the services will be available to all of its private banking clients from Monday, June 21. The launch comes six months after the bank began trialing the services in Switzerland.

"This gradual roll-out has allowed BBVA Switzerland to test the service's operations, strengthen security and, above all, detect that there is a significant desire among investors for crypto-assets or digital assets as a way of diversifying their portfolios, despite their volatility and high risk," said Alfonso Gomez, CEO of BBVA Switzerland.

While the bank currently only supports bitcoin, it said the aim is to also offer other cryptocurrencies in the future. As for the launch of the services in other countries, BBVA Switzerland said that would depend on maturity, demand, and regulation in those markets.

BBVA said its bitcoin services are novel as clients can manage their investments alongside traditional assets in the same portfolio. Customers willing to convert their bitcoin into fiat and vice versa can do so "without delays and without the illiquidity that affects other digital wallets or independent brokers," said BBVA. That's because the bank operates with several sources for converting cryptocurrencies, it said, without disclosing those sources.

BBVA's services come as more mega-banks open up to the crypto space. In recent weeks, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of New York Mellon, and other financial institutions have moved to provide crypto services to their clients.