BancaStato, the cantonal bank of Ticino in southern Switzerland, has launched regulated crypto trading that allows clients to buy, hold and sell bitcoin through the bank’s existing web and mobile apps, digital asset bank Sygnum said Thursday.
The bank linked Sygnum’s application programming interface with its Avaloq core banking system and digital channels, placing bitcoin trading inside the same apps customers already use for their traditional accounts.
At launch, clients can trade bitcoin (BTC) and other crypto through market orders entered either by quantity or by U.S. dollar value. Bitcoin is at the center of the offer, matching a broader pattern among European banks that have added crypto services.
Crypto access through a regulated banking channel
For BancaStato clients, the service provides access to digital assets through a regulated channel instead of a standalone exchange. Their holdings are kept in Sygnum custody rather than on the bank’s own balance sheet.
Sygnum said client assets are stored in an institutional-grade, multi-layer custody solution built on hardware and software controls, governance processes and independent external audits. The firm also said all client assets are held off-balance sheet in line with regulatory and legal requirements, a structure intended to protect holdings if a bank enters bankruptcy.
That distinction carries weight for bitcoin holders because a bearer asset held off-balance sheet remains separate from the claims of creditors of a failed institution.
Built on Sygnum’s API and Avaloq’s banking stack
The integration runs on Sygnum’s B2B API and does not require a separate order management system. The companies said that setup reduces both cost and complexity.
“BancaStato, becoming the first bank on Avaloq’s SaaS environment to enable clients to buy, hold and sell crypto via API with Sygnum directly from within its e-banking platforms, marks a significant step in the maturity and scalability of regulated digital asset infrastructure,” said Fritz Jost, Sygnum’s chief B2B officer.
Founded in 1915, BancaStato runs its core banking system and digital channels on the Avaloq platform under a software-as-a-service model.
Curzio De Gottardi, the bank’s head of products and services and vice-chairman of its executive board, described the rollout as an extension of the bank’s existing lineup. “Our seamless integration of traditional assets, investment solutions — and now digital assets — further enhances our group’s future-ready offering,” he said.
Part of a broader Swiss banking push into bitcoin
BancaStato joins Zuger Kantonalbank and more than 25 other banks and financial institutions on Sygnum’s B2B platform. Sygnum said its partner banks give more than a third of the Swiss population a way to own digital assets.
The launch adds to a series of moves by Swiss institutions bringing BTC services to clients. Zürcher Kantonalbank, the country’s fourth-largest bank, has rolled out bitcoin trading and custody. St. Galler Kantonalbank has opened bitcoin buying and custody to retail clients. UBS has also weighed bitcoin trading for select wealth clients.
Sygnum has also been expanding bitcoin-linked lending. The company cited its partnership with Relai on BTC-backed loans and a $50 million bitcoin-backed syndicated loan for Ledn.
Sygnum’s licenses in Switzerland and under MiCA
Sygnum holds a Swiss banking license and, since June 30, 2026, a Crypto-Asset Service Provider license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. That license was granted by Liechtenstein’s Financial Market Authority.
According to the report, the license allows EU banks to use Sygnum’s infrastructure to launch digital asset services. Other providers, including Bitcoin Suisse, have taken the same route from the same jurisdiction.
This report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and was written by Micah Zimmerman.