Bankinter, one of Spain’s largest banks, has taken a minority stake in Spanish crypto exchange Bit2Me, tightening its connection to the digital asset business. The move follows Bit2Me’s €30 million funding round, valued at about $34.9 million, which also included Tether and BBVA.
The investment is aimed at building technological synergies and backing the expansion of Bit2Me’s fintech operations in Spain and across the European Union. Bankinter said Bit2Me’s regulatory stability and its experience in crypto-assets were central to the decision. That places the deal beyond a simple capital injection. It also links a traditional lender with a platform already established in the local crypto market.
Bit2Me leans on funding to scale across Europe
Bit2Me has become one of the better-known names in Spain’s crypto sector. The company recently became the first Spanish-speaking fintech approved by Spain’s National Securities Market Commission, or CNMV, as a registered crypto-asset service provider. That approval, tied to the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, or MiCA, adds weight to its standing as it looks to grow inside the bloc.
According to the source material, the latest raise ranks among the larger funding rounds in the European crypto exchange sector and stands as the fourth-largest publicly announced raise in that segment. Bit2Me plans to use the capital to strengthen its technology infrastructure and accelerate its footprint across Europe. Competition is tightening. Exchanges such as Austria’s Bitpanda have also secured major backing, raising the stakes for platforms seeking regional scale.
Banks and crypto firms move closer in structure
For Bankinter, the transaction reflects a broader pattern in finance: established institutions are moving closer to the crypto ecosystem. The partnership is framed as a way to combine Bankinter’s banking expertise with Bit2Me’s knowledge of digital assets and regulated crypto operations.
The article presents this as part of a wider shift in how financial institutions view the sector. Instead of treating cryptocurrencies only as speculative instruments, more banks are recognizing their possible long-term place inside the financial system. Bankinter’s participation in this round gives that shift a concrete example in the Spanish market.