Bank Leumi, 0ne of Israel’s largest banking institutions, has formed a partnership with Galaxy Digital (Nasdaq: GLXY) to introduce cryptocurrency trading services for its clients. The collaboration positions the institution as the first bank in the country to plan direct digital asset trading offerings through its own platforms.
Under the arrangement, customers of Bank Leumi and its mobile digital banking division, PEPPER, will gain the ability to purchase, hold, and sell select cryptocurrencies—initially including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
These transactions will occur within a dedicated, secure portion of the Leumi
Trade capital markets application, allowing users to manage digital assets alongside their existing investment activities without needing separate exchange accounts or personal wallets.
The service is projected to become available in early 2027.
Galaxy Digital will supply the core infrastructure via its GalaxyOne Institutional platform, which is designed for banks, asset managers, and other institutional clients and emphasizes institutional-grade execution.
Separately, Bank Leumi has agreed to utilize Galaxy’s Custody Infrastructure platform—previously known as GK8—to underpin the secure holding of digital assets.
Maya Ravia, Head of Strategy at Bank Leumi, highlighted the move as a key element of the bank’s broader innovation efforts.
She noted that it aims to deliver straightforward, secure, and regulated access to digital asset trading through leading technological systems.
Ravia emphasized the bank’s view that digital assets are increasingly embedding themselves into the global financial landscape, and that institutions like Leumi have a responsibility to offer customers participation in this evolution within a trusted banking environment.
Lior Lamesh, CEO of Galaxy Israel, framed the partnership as part of a larger shift in finance toward open and programmable systems.
He pointed out that early-adopting banks will help shape the coming era, and that Leumi selected Galaxy to enable this capability for Israeli customers.
Lamesh also referenced the rapid growth of the local digital assets market and Galaxy’s role in delivering a unified platform combining trading and custody with strong security standards, intended for banks worldwide.
Bank Leumi, established more than 120 years ago and operating without a controlling shareholder, serves millions of clients spanning households, small businesses, mid-sized firms, and large corporations.
It blends a physical branch network with advanced digital and artificial intelligence tools, having improved operational efficiency through ongoing technological upgrades.
Galaxy Digital, listed on Nasdaq under the ticker GLXY, focuses on digital assets and data center infrastructure.
Its offerings include trading, advisory services, asset management, staking, self-custody, and tokenization, while also developing facilities to support artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads.
This development follows an earlier, unrealized 2022 effort by the bank involving a different partner.
The current initiative relies on Galaxy’s established institutional tools and Israeli-rooted custody technology.
Commercial details such as fees and specific eligibility criteria have not been disclosed.
Regulatory clearance, including from the Bank of Israel, is anticipated as a necessary step before launch. The partnership reflects growing institutional interest in bringing cryptocurrency access inside established banking interfaces, potentially expanding regulated participation in digital assets within Israel’s financial system.