BPCE, one of France’s largest banking groups, is diving into crypto. Starting Monday, retail customers can trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and USDC directly through the Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne apps. The pilot rollout will reach about 2 million customers, with plans to expand to 12 million by 2026.
The service runs on a separate digital asset account managed by Hexarq, BPCE’s crypto-focused subsidiary. Initially, four regional banks are included, such as Banque Populaire Île-de-France and Caisse d’Épargne Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Over the next few years, the bank intends to extend access across its 25 other regional entities.
Each account comes with a €2.99 monthly fee and a 1.5% transaction commission, with a minimum charge of €1 per trade. Customers won’t need external exchanges or third-party wallets, keeping the crypto experience fully in-house.
A bank insider told The Big Whale that the phased rollout allows BPCE to monitor adoption and system performance before opening the service to millions more. The approach is cautious but strategic, reflecting a growing emphasis on user experience and security in crypto banking.
BPCE’s launch comes as European banks face mounting competition from crypto-friendly fintechs like Revolut, Deblock, Bitstack, and Trade Republic. All of these platforms already allow retail users to access digital assets, pressuring traditional banks to catch up.
Several other European institutions have moved in the same direction. BBVA integrates crypto trading directly into its Spanish banking app, while Santander’s Openbank offers access to five major crypto assets. In Austria, Raiffeisen Bank teamed up with Bitpanda to bring crypto to retail clients.
By embedding crypto trading directly into consumer banking apps, BPCE is positioning itself as one of the first major French banks to fully embrace digital assets. The move signals growing institutional acceptance of cryptocurrency as a mainstream financial product.
Meanwhile, French lawmakers are tightening rules on wealth and digital assets. An amendment approved last month could extend the country’s wealth tax to include unproductive assets, including crypto. Individuals holding over $2.3 million in qualifying assets would face a new 1% flat tax, pending final Senate approval as part of the 2026 budget.
