Full story
Banca Sella’s MiCA greenlight
Banca Sella became the first Italian bank cleared to offer cryptocurrency custody and transfer services under the European Union’s MiCA framework after completing its notification process with the Bank of Italy.
“plans to roll out digital asset services to selected clients by the end of 2026”
The bank said it plans to roll out digital-asset services to selected clients by the end of 2026, with its initial focus on custody and transfers rather than retail trading.
CoinDesk reported that Banca Sella completed a formal 40-day notification process, clearing it to roll out crypto services to clients later this year.
Andrea Tessera, Managing Director of Digital Banking at Banca Sella, said, “Being approved as a crypto-asset services provider will enable Banca Sella to launch in 2026 a solution dedicated to the custody, transfer and receipt of digital assets.”
What the bank will do
Banca Sella’s MiCA authorization is described as covering digital-asset custody, receipt, and transfer services for selected client groups in 2026.
Bloomingbit said the bank’s service is built with compliance cooperation with Chainalysis and internal digital-asset infrastructure based on Fireblocks.
Bitcoin Magazine said Banca Sella filed its notification 40 days in advance and that it did not announce trading services, centering its initial offering on custody, receipt, and transfer for corporate and institutional clients.
CryptoNinjas quoted Andrea Tessera describing the move as “the launch marks Europe’s transition towards interoperable and digital financial infrastructure.”
Stablecoin consortium and next steps
Banca Sella is also a founding member of Qivalis, an alliance of 37 European banks developing a euro-pegged stablecoin, and the consortium is described as targeting a second-half 2026 launch pending a license.
“Qivalis targets a second-half 2026 launch, pending an e-money institution license from the Dutch central bank”
Bitcoin Magazine said Qivalis is headquartered in Amsterdam and is led by former Coinbase Germany CEO Jan-Oliver Sell.
Financial IT said Banca Sella’s authorization enables it to launch in 2026 a solution dedicated to the custody, transfer and receipt of digital assets aimed at selected categories of customers.
In the same Financial IT account, Andrea Tessera said, “To be the first Italian bank able to offer custody and transfer services for crypto assets is a major step, in line with the broader European transition towards new digital models.”