What does Banca Sella’s MiCA approval mean?

Banca Sella became the first Italian bank authorised to offer crypto-asset services under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework. The approval allows the bank to expand regulated digital asset services inside the EU.

What crypto services will Banca Sella offer?

The bank plans to launch digital asset custody, transfer and receipt services in 2026 for selected customer groups. These services will initially focus on regulated crypto infrastructure rather than speculative retail trading.

What is MiCA and why is it important?

European Union created MiCA to establish standardised crypto regulations across Europe. The framework is designed to give banks, exchanges and stablecoin issuers clearer legal rules for operating digital asset services.

Why is Banca Sella’s approval significant for Italy?

The approval gives Italy’s banking sector its first regulated pathway into crypto services under MiCA. It could encourage other Italian financial institutions to expand into digital asset custody, tokenisation and blockchain-based payments.

What did Andrea Tessera say about tokenisation?

Andrea Tessera said tokenisation is helping create “instant, interoperable, and programmable” payment systems. The comments reflect growing interest among banks in blockchain-based financial infrastructure.

How are European banks using blockchain technology?

Many European banks are now testing tokenised payments, stablecoins, digital asset custody and distributed ledger settlement systems. Financial institutions increasingly see blockchain infrastructure as a way to modernise payments and asset transfers.

Qivalis is a consortium of 37 European banks planning to issue a euro-denominated stablecoin. Banca Sella is one of the consortium’s founding members.

Image for illustrative purposes only. Not a real photo.

Banca Sella wins MiCA approval for crypto services

Q: Has Banca Sella worked with crypto before?

Yes, the bank previously entered the crypto sector through its digital banking platform Hype, which partnered with Italian crypto company Conio to offer Bitcoin wallet services to retail customers.

Written by Isaac FrancisPublished May. 28 2026Last Updated May. 28 2026

Banca Sella announced it has completed the notification process with the Bank of Italy under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, allowing the bank to offer crypto-asset services.

The bank said it plans to launch custody, transfer and receipt services for digital assets in 2026, initially targeting selected customer categories.

Andrea Tessera said tokenisation is helping drive a transition toward “instant, interoperable, and programmable” financial payments and services.

The approval positions Banca Sella as the first Italian bank authorised to operate under the EU’s MiCA crypto regulatory framework as traditional financial institutions increasingly expand into digital asset custody and blockchain-based payments.

Banca Sella previously participated in a distributed ledger technology pilot coordinated through the Bank of Italy’s Fintech Milano Hub and also established an internal team focused on blockchain and digital assets.

The bank is additionally a founding member of Qivalis, a consortium of 37 European banks planning to issue a euro-denominated stablecoin as financial institutions across Europe accelerate tokenisation and regulated digital payment initiatives.

Banca Sella also previously entered the crypto sector through its digital banking platform Hype, which partnered with Italian crypto firm Conio to provide Bitcoin wallet services for retail customers.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $73,054.55.