UniCredit seeks infrastructure partner for crypto trading, custody: Report

UniCredit Bank is seeking a technology provider that would allow it to build infrastructure for digital asset trading, custody and access to tokenized investment products.

The Italian bank’s discussions are still in the early stages, with areas of interest including crypto custody and brokerage capabilities, tokenized investment products and stablecoin-based fixed-income securities, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday.

Cointelegraph has approached UniCredit for comment on what technology provider might fill this infrastructure gap.

Some of the biggest banks are experimenting with digital asset and stablecoin infrastructure, including America’s fifth–largest commercial bank, U.S. Bank, which completed a live cross-border payment using its proprietary USBDC stablecoin on Wednesday.

On Sept. 3, London-headquartered multinational bank Standard Chartered launched spot Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading for institutional clients in the United Arab Emirates. The bank previously launched digital asset custody services in the region in September 2024.

In August, Israel’s largest bank, Leumi, partnered with Galaxy Digital to offer customers Bitcoin, Ether and Solana (SOL) trading through the bank’s investment platform, with the launch expected in early 2027.