Banca Sella has completed its notification process with the Bank of Italy under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, becoming the first bank in Italy authorized to offer crypto-asset services. The approval positions the Italian lender to introduce custody, transfer, and receipt services for digital assets by the end of 2026, initially for selected categories of customers.
Banca Sella Secures Italy Crypto Approval
Banca Sella said it has completed the notification process required by MiCA and received authorization to operate as a crypto-asset services provider in Italy. The approval covers services related in particular to the custody and transfer of digital assets, marking a notable step for Italy’s regulated banking sector as European financial institutions move to align crypto operations with the EU’s new framework.
The bank said the authorization will allow it to launch a dedicated digital asset service in 2026 focused on custody, transfer, and receipt. The planned offering will not be broadly available at first; Banca Sella said it will target selected categories of customers, though it did not provide further detail on eligibility, supported assets, pricing, or the technical custody model.
The move follows Banca Sella’s earlier involvement in the Bank of Italy’s Fintech Milano Hub pilot project on distributed ledger technology, launched in 2022. Since then, the bank has built an internal team specializing in DLT and digital assets, while also participating in broader European initiatives tied to tokenized money, payments, and settlement infrastructure.
MiCA Clearance Sets Up 2026 Digital Asset Launch
Andrea Tessera, Managing Director of Digital Banking at Banca Sella, framed the approval as part of a wider shift in European financial infrastructure. “The evolution of payments toward instant, interoperable, and programmable models – also driven by the tokenization of currencies and assets – is redefining financial infrastructures at European and global level,” Tessera said. “Our new service falls within this framework and will provide a tangible contribution to this transformation, both through a systemic approach and the offering of innovative solutions designed to effectively meet new customer needs with financial solutions that are increasingly efficient and secure.”
Banca Sella is also among the founders of Qivalis, a consortium of 37 European banks working on a euro-denominated stablecoin. The bank said it is continuing to monitor strategic developments around the tokenization of deposits and payments in the Eurosystem, including the Pontes and Appia projects, both of which relate to ongoing work on digital settlement and tokenized financial infrastructure.
Tessera said the bank has been investing in both infrastructure and expertise in anticipation of changes to payments and settlement systems. “As we are aware of their potential to transform payment and settlement systems, over the last few years, we have been investing in technology infrastructure and building expertise in DLT and digital assets,” he 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, and lays the foundation for future developments across the board, from payments to tokenization, while ensuring confidence and stability in full compliance with regulatory requirements.”
Banca Sella’s authorization places an Italian bank directly inside the EU’s regulated crypto services perimeter as MiCA becomes the operating standard for digital asset activity across the bloc. The planned 2026 launch will be an early test of how traditional banking groups in Italy bring crypto custody and transfer services to clients under the new regulatory regime.
AI Transparency Note: This article was prepared with the assistance of an AI system based on the sources listed and was reviewed, edited, and approved by a human editor before publication. All quotes, data points, and factual claims are intended to be grounded in the cited source material; however, errors cannot be ruled out entirely.