Sella is the first bank in Italy to launch crypto-asset services, by the end of the year

The notification process to the Bank of Italy has been completed. By the end of the year, the bank will launch new services in the area of ​​digital assets envisaged by the European MiCA regulation.

„Banca Sella has completed the notification process with the Bank of Italy required by the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and is the first bank in Italy to be able to launch crypto-asset services, specifically the custody and transfer of digital assets.” – according to the press release.

Being admitted as a crypto-asset service provider will allow Sella to launch, in 2026, a solution dedicated to the custody, sending, and receiving of digital assets, aimed at specific types of customers.

The initiative, which brings the Italian banking sector closer to the European and global sectors already active in this field, stems from the innovation journey initiated by Sella with his participation in the trial of distributed ledger technology (DLT) promoted in 2022 by the Bank of Italy’s Fintech Milano Hub. Sella, after creating an internal team specializing in DLT & Digital Assets, is among the founders of Qivalis, the consortium of 37 European banks that will issue a euro-denominated stablecoin within the year. He continues to closely monitor strategic developments in the tokenization of Eurosystem deposits and payments (the Pontes and Appia projects).

„The evolution of payments towards instant, interoperable, and programmable models, also facilitated by the tokenization of currency and assets,” said Andrea Tessera, Managing Director of Digital Banking at Banca Sella, „is redefining financial infrastructures at the European and global levels. Banca Sella’s new service fits into this landscape and will allow us to concretely contribute to this transformation, both with a systemic approach and by offering innovative solutions developed to effectively meet customers’ evolving needs with increasingly efficient and secure financial solutions.

In recent years, we have invested in technological infrastructure and in developing expertise in DLT and digital assets, recognizing their potential in the evolution of payment and settlement systems. Being the first Italian bank to offer cryptocurrency custody and transfer services is a significant step, part of the broader European journey towards new digital models and laying the foundation for future developments in various sectors, from payments to tokenization, ensuring trust and stability in full compliance with regulatory requirements.”