Key Takeaways:
- Bank Leumi will be the first bank in Israel to allow customers to trade digital assets.
- LEUMI and PEPPER will allow you to purchase, own and trade Bitcoin, Ether and Solana via the Leumi Trade app.
- Galaxy will offer trading and custody capabilities, and the service is set to launch in 2027.
Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank, is moving directly into crypto trading through a new partnership with Galaxy. The deal gives traditional banking customers a regulated route into major digital assets without leaving the bank’s investment platform.
Bitcoin, Ether and Solana Coming to Leumi Trade
Under the partnership, customers of Bank Leumi and its mobile banking arm PEPPER will be able to access selected digital assets through a dedicated section of the Leumi Trade capital markets application.
The launch will feature the launch of Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL). They will be able to purchase, own and trade the assets on the banking platform.
It is expected to be available in early 2027. According to Bank Leumi, the program will allow it to become the first Israeli bank to offer digital asset trading to its clients.
The send will introduce crypto trades to a solid banking framework, which might lessen the inactivity of clients who’ve stayed away from cryptocurrency exchanges.
Read More: Galaxy and BNY Partner to Unlock $100T Institutional Market With Next-Gen Crypto Staking
Galaxy to Power Trading and Custody
GalaxyOne and custody infrastructure
Bank Leumi’s operation will be based upon GalaxyOne Institutional, Galaxy’s solution for banks, asset managers and other institutional clients. It will offer institutional-grade trading and related digital asset services with the platform.
Leumi has also entered into an agreement with Galaxy’s Custody Infrastructure (formerly known as GK8) to assist its digital asset infrastructure.
It includes on-boarding of both sides, with GalaxyOne providing trading capabilities and Galaxy’s custody technology supporting the bank’s digital asset operations.
The project forms part of Bank Leumi’s innovation strategy, according to its Head of Strategy, Maya Ravia, and is due to the perception that digital assets are increasingly playing a more significant role in the global financial system.
Read More: Ripple Shifts to Digital Assets Custody
Israel’s Banking Sector Moves Deeper Into Crypto
The collaboration represents a major piece of the puzzle for the adoption of cryptocurrencies in Israel, a country where digital assets have recently come into the view of regulated financial institutions.
Rather than customers having to go to the outside exchange, Leumi will replicate Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana trading within a pre-existing banking application. That structure could give customers a more familiar way to gain digital asset exposure while keeping the service within a regulated banking framework.
The accord also outreach to Israel’s traditional banking sector for Galaxy, by offering support in institutional infrastructure business. The company’s Trading and Custody Technology provides infrastructure that banks are looking to adhere to digital assets without constructing an entire stack.
The scheduled 2027 debut is subject of much scrutiny and comes as Israel’s biggest bank enters the mainstream of investments with crypto trading.
