Swiss cantonal bank BancaStato has launched regulated cryptocurrency trading through a new integration with Sygnum and banking technology provider Avaloq.
Summary
- BancaStato clients can now trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana directly through existing banking applications.
- Sygnum provides regulated trading and institutional custody while Avaloq keeps digital and traditional assets together.
- The integration makes BancaStato the first Avaloq SaaS bank to offer API-based crypto trading services.
Clients can now buy, hold and sell Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana from the bank’s existing web and mobile applications.
The service connects Sygnum’s business-to-business digital asset infrastructure directly with BancaStato’s Avaloq core banking environment. Sygnum handles crypto execution and custody, while BancaStato keeps the customer experience inside its current banking channels. The launch makes BancaStato the first bank using Avaloq’s software-as-a-service environment to offer Sygnum-powered crypto trading through an API.
BancaStato adds four cryptocurrencies to banking apps
At launch, BancaStato customers can trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana. They can place market orders based on the amount of cryptocurrency or the U.S. dollar value they want to trade. The bank has added the service to the same web and mobile platforms clients already use for traditional banking and investments.
The setup uses Sygnum’s B2B API without requiring BancaStato to operate a separate order management system. Sygnum said this structure reduces technical complexity and allows the bank to adjust trading features while using its existing Avaloq systems. BancaStato serves customers in Ticino and has operated as a Swiss cantonal bank since 1915.
Moreover, Sygnum provides the digital asset trading infrastructure behind the service and holds customer crypto in its institutional custody system. The company said it uses hardware and software controls, governance procedures and external audits. It also holds client digital assets off its own balance sheet under the applicable legal framework.
BancaStato said the integration lets clients manage traditional and digital assets through one banking relationship. Curzio De Gottardi, head of the bank’s Products and Services Division, said:
“We are proud to partner with Sygnum Bank on this strategic initiative,” noted Curzio De Gottardi.
The bank said it plans to use Sygnum’s crypto banking infrastructure as it expands its range of investment services.
BancaStato joins Sygnum’s growing banking network
BancaStato joins more than 25 banks and financial institutions using Sygnum’s B2B platform. The network includes PostFinance, Zuger Kantonalbank, SocGen FORGE, Bordier & Cie and other financial firms. Sygnum says its partner banks give more than one-third of Switzerland’s population access to digital asset services.
The network has expanded steadily. As crypto.news previously reported, Sygnum had already onboarded more than 20 financial institutions by June 2024 to provide crypto trading, custody and related services to customers.
Sygnum’s earlier rollout with PostFinance also showed demand from customers new to investing. The company said 61% of PostFinance customers who bought crypto after its 2024 launch had not previously invested in any asset class through the institution. That experience gave the B2B model an established presence inside Swiss retail banking channels.
PostFinance later expanded its Sygnum-backed services by adding Ethereum staking.Customers gained access to the staking service through the bank’s existing digital platforms.
Sygnum has also worked with traditional banks on blockchain settlement.UBS, PostFinance and Sygnum completed a legally binding interbank payment using tokenized bank deposits on a public blockchain in September 2025.
Sygnum expands regulated bank-to-bank crypto services
The BancaStato launch follows Sygnum’s latest regulatory expansion in Europe. On June 30, Sygnum Europe said it had moved into operation under a Crypto-Asset Service Provider license issued in Liechtenstein under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. The authorization supports its plans to provide digital asset infrastructure to banks and other clients across the EU and European Economic Area.
Sygnum has positioned its bank-to-bank model as an option for financial institutions that do not want to build crypto trading and custody systems from scratch. Its infrastructure allows partner banks to keep their customer interfaces while connecting to Sygnum through APIs. The BancaStato deployment brings that model directly into an Avaloq SaaS setup.
For Avaloq, the project adds crypto trading to a core banking environment already used for conventional financial products. Christian Haux, Avaloq’s managing director for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, said the integration allows BancaStato customers to view and manage digital and traditional portfolios in one place.
BancaStato has not announced plans to add more cryptocurrencies or other digital asset products. The initial service covers BTC, ETH, LTC and SOL. However, the bank now has a direct technical connection to Sygnum’s platform, providing infrastructure that could support additional services if BancaStato later expands its offering.
