Banca Sella has become the first Italian bank to clear the regulatory hurdle that opens the door to crypto services under European law. The Biella-based lender has completed the notification
Banca Sella has become the first Italian bank to clear the regulatory hurdle that opens the door to crypto services under European law. The Biella-based lender has completed the notification process required under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) with the Bank of Italy, making it the first domestic bank authorised to launch crypto-asset services, specifically custody and transfer of digital assets.
Founded in 1886, Banca Sella is one of Italy's most established banking institutions. The MiCA clearance marks a new chapter, moving the bank beyond its earlier retail Bitcoin offering and into regulated, institutional-grade territory.
The approval will allow Sella to launch, during the course of 2026, a dedicated solution for the custody, sending, and receiving of digital assets, targeted at specific categories of clients. The offering is designed for institutional and selected clients, covering $BTC alongside other digital assets including $ETH, $SOL, and $XRP, providing both secure custody and transfer capabilities within a fully regulated framework.
Beyond its own crypto ambitions, Banca Sella is a founding member of Qivalis, a European banking consortium working to launch a compliant euro-pegged stablecoin. Qivalis has grown to 37 member institutions after onboarding 25 new banks across 15 countries, with the project targeting a second-half 2026 launch.
The euro-backed stablecoin will be supported by twelve leading European banks: Banca Sella, BBVA, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank, Danske Bank, DekaBank, DZ BANK, ING, KBC, Raiffeisen Bank International, SEB, and UniCredit.The offering is subject to authorisation by the Dutch Central Bank through Amsterdam-based Qivalis, ensuring full compliance with the EU's MiCA regulation.
Despite the stablecoin market reaching $305 billion in January 2026, 99% remains dollar-denominated, with euro-pegged assets representing just $650 million.The consortium aims to challenge this dollar dominance with a regulated, MiCA-compliant offering designed to become a trusted European payment standard.
Taken together, Banca Sella's MiCA notification and its Qivalis membership position the bank at the centre of Europe's evolving digital asset landscape, at a time when traditional finance and on-chain infrastructure are converging rapidly.
Sources:Teleborsa: Banca Sella, prima banca in Italia a poter avviare servizi di cripto-attivitàPR Newswire: Qivalis selects Fireblocks to power MiCAR-compliant euro stablecoinCaixaBank: Qivalis joint venture to launch euro stablecoin in H2 2026
