Update (Sept. 23, 2:20 pm UTC): This article has been updated to include comments from an RBI spokesperson on the planned rollout, from the sixth paragraph.
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), an Austrian banking group with operations across Central and Eastern Europe, is expanding its cryptocurrency push through a group-wide partnership with Bitpanda.
Bitpanda Enterprise will provide the digital asset infrastructure that RBIs network banks can use to introduce crypto services, potentially reaching about 18 million customers, according to a joint announcement on Wednesday. Individual banks will determine their offerings and rollout based on local market and regulatory requirements, the companies said.
RBI CEO Michael HÃķllerer said the bank is seeing growing demand for crypto assets across its markets and is addressing it with Bitpanda.
âAs a customer-centric bank, we are committed to meeting our customers needs in the best possible way,â he said.
Bitpanda co-CEO Christian Trumme (left) and Michael HÃķllerer, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank International. Source: Bitpanda
The partnership builds on a crypto integration launched with Austrias Raiffeisenlandesbank NiederÃķsterreich-Wien in 2024.
The service is already live in Austria. An RBI spokesperson told Cointelegraph that plans call for the wider rollout to begin in Albania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the first half of 2027.
Bitpanda, which is authorized under the European Unions Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), told Cointelegraph it is regularly in discussions with banks and financial institutions exploring crypto brokerage services but declined to comment on active or confidential talks.
Related: Banks double on EU MiCA crypto provider list as share hits 23%