BancaStato Adds Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin And Solana Trading Through Sygnum

Swiss cantonal bank BancaStato has opened cryptocurrency trading to its clients through an integration with digital asset bank Sygnum and banking software provider Avaloq.

Clients can buy, hold and sell Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Solana from BancaStato’s existing web and mobile banking applications. Market orders can be entered by asset quantity or cash value, allowing customers to manage crypto positions alongside their traditional portfolios.

The service connects Sygnum’s digital asset infrastructure directly to BancaStato’s Avaloq core banking environment. Trades are routed through Sygnum’s application programming interface without a separate order management system.

BancaStato, formally Banca dello Stato del Cantone Ticino, was founded in 1915 and operates as the cantonal bank for Switzerland’s Italian-speaking Ticino region.

Sygnum Handles Trading And Custody

Sygnum provides the execution and custody infrastructure behind the new service. Digital assets held by BancaStato clients are stored through Sygnum’s institutional custody platform, which uses layered hardware and software controls, governance procedures and external audits.

The assets are held off Sygnum’s balance sheet under the applicable Swiss legal structure. BancaStato clients retain access through their existing banking interface rather than opening and managing a separate account with a crypto exchange.

BancaStato is the first bank using Avaloq’s software-as-a-service banking environment to connect directly to Sygnum’s crypto platform through an API. The integration brings Sygnum’s B2B network to more than 25 banks and financial institutions, including PostFinance, Zuger Kantonalbank, Bordier & Cie and VZ VermögensZentrum.

Swiss Banks Expand Digital Asset Services

The launch adds another regulated banking route into crypto markets as Swiss institutions expand trading, custody and blockchain settlement products.

UBS, PostFinance, Sygnum, Raiffeisen, Zürcher Kantonalbank and BCV opened a Swiss-franc stablecoin sandbox in April to test tokenized settlement between regulated financial institutions. AMINA Bank also connected its banking platform to Ripple Payments for cross-border fiat and stablecoin transfers.

Sygnum’s European subsidiary received a Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence from Liechtenstein’s Financial Market Authority on June 30. The MiCA authorization allows the group to provide approved crypto services across the European Economic Area through passporting arrangements, while BancaStato’s new trading service operates through its Swiss banking structure.