Raiffeisen Bank International partners with Bitpanda to offer crypto services to up to 18 million customers

Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has signed an agreement with Bitpanda Enterprise to build a shared digital‑asset framework for its banks across Central and Eastern Europe. The partnership could extend crypto‑related products to the group’s roughly 18 million retail customers.

How the framework will work

Bitpanda Enterprise will supply the underlying technology for trading, custody, liquidity, payments, stablecoins and tokenisation. Individual RBI subsidiary banks will decide which products to launch, when to launch them and how to tailor them to local market and regulatory conditions.

From Austria to a regional rollout

The model builds on earlier integrations in Austria, where Raiffeisen banks such as RLB NÖ‑Wien and Landesbank Tirol already offer digital assets through the existing banking relationship, without requiring a separate crypto‑platform account.

Potential reach and timeline

• RBI operates in 11 Central and Eastern European markets.
• The network comprises about 42,000 employees and roughly 1,300 business outlets.
• Each subsidiary bank will set its own product roadmap based on demand, local regulations and operational readiness.

Bitpanda’s expanding institutional business

Bitpanda Enterprise is positioning itself as a white‑label infrastructure provider for banks and other financial institutions. Recent collaborations include BW‑Bank, IG Europe and Deutsche Bank, the latter preparing custody services for Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Regulatory context

The partnership aligns with the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) framework, which gives credit institutions a distinct route to offer “covered” crypto services after notifying their home regulator. By using Bitpanda’s MiCA‑licensed infrastructure, banks can avoid building their own trading and custody systems.

European data show that banks now represent nearly 23 % of entities listed on the European Securities and Markets Authority’s crypto‑provider register, reflecting a broader trend of traditional finance entering the regulated crypto market.