Swiss cantonal lender BancaStato has expanded its product range by introducing regulated cryptocurrency trading for its customers, powered by digital asset specialist Sygnum and core banking technology provider Avaloq.
The collaboration allows account holders to purchase, retain, and dispose of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Solana without leaving the bank’s familiar digital channels.
Banca dello Stato del Cantone Ticino, established in 1915 to support the economy of southern Switzerland’s Italian-speaking region, has linked Sygnum’s application programming interface to its Avaloq software-as-a-service platform.
As a result, clients can now place market orders—specified either by the number of coins or by US-dollar amount—directly inside the existing web and mobile banking applications.
Transactions flow through Sygnum’s business-to-business infrastructure, eliminating the need for a separate order-management system.
This streamlined architecture lowers operational costs and complexity while giving the bank greater flexibility to adjust features according to its risk-management policies.
Digital assets acquired by BancaStato customers are held in Sygnum’s multi-layered institutional custody arrangement.
The solution combines hardware and software safeguards, rigorous internal governance, and independent external audits.
Importantly, the assets remain off the bank’s own balance sheet, offering an extra layer of protection should the institution face insolvency.
The Ticino-based lender becomes the first institution running Avaloq’s SaaS environment to offer crypto trading via a direct Sygnum API connection.
It joins a growing roster of more than twenty-five banks and financial firms already using Sygnum’s B2B platform, including other Swiss cantonal institutions.
Sygnum estimates that its partner network already enables roughly one-third of the Swiss population to access digital assets through trusted traditional banks.
Executives from the three organizations highlighted the strategic value of the integration.
Fritz Jost, Sygnum’s Chief B2B Officer, described the partnership as evidence of rising demand for regulated, API-based digital-asset services that plug straight into established core banking systems.
Dr Curzio De Gottardi, BancaStato’s Head of Products and Services and Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board, emphasized that the seamless combination of conventional investments with digital assets strengthens the bank’s future-oriented offering.
Christian Haux, Avaloq’s Managing Director for Switzerland and Liechtenstein, noted that the project demonstrates how tight technical integration helps banks respond quickly to changing client expectations while keeping all services on a single platform.
The launch arrives shortly after Sygnum Europe obtained a Crypto-Asset Service Provider license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation from Liechtenstein’s Financial Market Authority.
That authorization positions Sygnum to support banks across the EU with similar infrastructure, reducing time-to-market and regulatory burden.
By embedding cryptocurrency trading inside everyday banking applications, BancaStato provides its customers with a convenient, regulated gateway to digital assets while maintaining the security and compliance standards expected of a Swiss cantonal bank.