Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has formed a group-wide alliance with Bitpanda Enterprise to create a common digital asset framework for its Central and Eastern European banking network, potentially making crypto services available to up to 18 million customers across 11 markets.
Under the agreement, Bitpanda will supply the underlying infrastructure for trading, custody, liquidity, payments, stablecoins and tokenization. Each RBI network bank will independently decide which products to offer and when to launch them, based on local regulatory and market conditions. A Bitpanda spokesperson said the rollout is at an early stage and will proceed gradually, without specifying which markets will be onboarded first.
The partnership builds on an integration launched in 2024 with Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien, which served as a pilot within the Austrian Raiffeisen ecosystem. Other Austrian banks, including Raiffeisen Landesbank Tirol, later introduced digital asset access through Bitpanda Enterprise in June. The new framework extends that model beyond individual banks to a broader network that employs around 42,000 people and operates roughly 1,300 business outlets.
RBI CEO Michael Höllerer justified the move by citing growing customer demand for digital assets. “As a customer-oriented bank, we are committed to meeting their needs in the best way possible,” he said.
The alliance comes as traditional European banks increase participation in the EU's regulated crypto market under the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA). Banking institutions represented nearly 23% of entities listed on the European Securities and Markets Authority’s crypto provider register by mid-September, roughly doubling from about 40 in late June to about 80. Bitpanda operates under MiCA licenses in Europe, though Austria’s Financial Market Authority fined the company €70,000 in August over breaches involving crypto asset white paper and marketing requirements.
Bitpanda has been expanding its institutional infrastructure business beyond its retail platform. The company reported €371 million in adjusted revenue for 2025, up 16% from the previous year, and its user base reached 7.4 million. Its broader institutional relationships include BW-Bank, IG Europe and Deutsche Bank, with Deutsche Bank preparing crypto custody services for Bitcoin and Ethereum.
