Bank of Italy Clears Banca Sella to Offer Crypto Custody in 2026
Bank of Italy approved Banca Sella’s notification to offer crypto custody and transfer services to selected customers beginning in 2026 under the EU MiCA rules.
Banca Sella completed its notification process with the Bank of Italy and received approval to offer crypto custody and transfer services to selected customers starting in 2026 under the EU Markets in Crypto Assets framework, known as MiCA.
The approval allows a limited rollout of digital-asset custody and transfer functions in 2026 at the earliest. Services will be available only to defined customer groups initially while the bank tests operational processes, compliance controls and technology.
Under MiCA, banks, exchanges and other providers operate within a clearer legal framework for issuance, custody and transfer of crypto assets and certain tokenized instruments. The notification to the Bank of Italy is a formal procedure required for banks seeking to offer regulated crypto services from within the banking sector.
Banca Sella stated it has developed internal capabilities in distributed ledger technology and digital-asset operations and has participated in trials run by the Bank of Italy’s Fintech Milano Hub since 2022.
The group is a founding member of Qivalis, a consortium of 37 European banks working on a euro-backed stablecoin and related settlement infrastructure. The consortium is testing how tokenized forms of fiat might be used for faster or more programmable settlement between financial institutions.
Andrea Tessera, managing director of digital banking at Banca Sella, commented: “The evolution of payments toward instant, interoperable, and programmable models is redefining financial infrastructures at the European and global levels.”
Banca Sella noted that operational and regulatory controls are part of its rollout plan and that initial customer restrictions reflect a phased approach while systems and compliance procedures are implemented.
The approval is an early example in Italy of a regulated bank preparing to offer services that had previously been handled largely outside traditional banking channels. Other lenders in Italy are also working on compliance checks and infrastructure upgrades under MiCA.
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