Raiffeisen Bank International Partners With Bitpanda to Bring Regulated Crypto Trading to 14 European Markets

Vienna, Austria, September 15, 2026. Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has entered a strategic partnership with Bitpanda, one of Europe's largest regulated crypto platforms, to offer cryptocurrency trading services across RBI's 14-country Central and Eastern European network. The collaboration gives RBI's 2.3 million retail customers and institutional clients direct access to compliant digital asset trading through existing banking infrastructure.

The partnership launches against the backdrop of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, fully operational across all member states following its December 2024 implementation. MiCA provides a standardized cross-border regulatory framework that enables institutional-grade crypto partnerships at scale.

"European customers deserve access to regulated digital asset services through institutions they already trust," said RBI Group CEO Johann Strobl. "This partnership combines Raiffeisen's banking infrastructure with Bitpanda's proven crypto expertise to deliver exactly that. MiCA gives us the regulatory clarity to move forward with confidence."

Bitpanda, also headquartered in Vienna, serves more than 3 million registered users and processes an estimated €2 billion in annual transaction volume, with estimated daily trading activity of $25 to $35 million. Its existing MiCA licensing and compliance infrastructure allows RBI to offer crypto services without building proprietary capabilities from the ground up.

"Partnering with a banking institution of Raiffeisen's scale is a defining moment for crypto in Europe," said Bitpanda CEO Eric Demuth. "We built our platform to be the bridge between traditional finance and digital assets. This partnership proves that model works at an institutional level."

European crypto holdings across EU and EEA regions are estimated at $180 to $220 billion, representing approximately 10 to 12 percent of global crypto market capitalization. European institutional investor allocation to digital assets has climbed from 18 percent in 2023 to 47 percent in 2026. RBI's distribution footprint spans Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, and ten additional markets across Central and Eastern Europe.

Initial services will cover trading in major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Both companies have indicated plans to expand the partnership into tokenized real-world assets — including real estate, commodities, and securities — as regulatory frameworks for tokenized assets mature.

Both institutions have indicated they will implement phased rollouts with dedicated compliance and security infrastructure, including third-party audits and institutional-grade AML and KYC screening across all participating markets. Geographic expansion to additional RBI markets and potential stablecoin settlement integration with Raiffeisen's payment infrastructure are identified as near-term milestones, with institutional asset manager onboarding targeted through 2027.

About Raiffeisen Bank International

Raiffeisen Bank International AG is one of Austria's leading banking groups and a major financial institution across Central and Eastern Europe, operating in 14 markets with 2.3 million retail customers and a significant institutional client base. RBI provides corporate and retail banking, capital markets, and treasury services across the region. The bank is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange.

About Bitpanda

Bitpanda is a Vienna-based financial technology company and one of Europe's largest regulated crypto asset platforms, serving more than 3 million registered users across the continent. Founded in 2014, Bitpanda holds regulatory licenses across multiple European jurisdictions and operates under the EU's MiCA framework, offering trading in cryptocurrencies, precious metals, and other digital assets. The company processes an estimated €2 billion in annual transaction volume.