BancaStato, the primary cantonal bank for Switzerland’s Italian-speaking Ticino region, has officially expanded into digital assets by launching regulated crypto trading and custody services. Partnering with digital asset specialist Sygnum Bank and core banking provider Avaloq, BancaStato enables its account holders to buy, sell, and hold crypto assets directly through the bank’s existing web and mobile applications.
At launch, clients gain direct exposure to four major digital assets: Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Litecoin (LTC).
The rollout marks a major technical milestone, as BancaStato becomes the first institution operating within Avaloq’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ecosystem to offer crypto services through a direct API connection to Sygnum. By linking Sygnum’s API straight into Avaloq’s core banking software, BancaStato eliminated the need for a standalone order management system. This direct setup significantly lowers operational friction, streamlines ongoing product updates, and allows the bank to manage risk parameters within a single unified infrastructure.
Institutional Custody and Expanding European Footprint
Under the tri-party model, BancaStato retains client relationship management while leveraging Sygnum’s institutional infrastructure for execution, liquidity, and asset safeguarding. Client crypto holdings are secured off-balance-sheet within Sygnum’s multi-layered custody architecture, combining dedicated hardware security modules, automated governance controls, and third-party audits. This legal segregation ensures client digital assets remain strictly protected from institutional bankruptcy liabilities.
The collaboration highlights growing momentum among traditional European financial institutions adopting turnkey digital asset rails. BancaStato joins more than 25 global banks and financial intermediaries, including PostFinance, VZ Depotbank, and Societe Generale-FORGE, currently utilizing Sygnum’s B2B banking network.
Furthermore, the integration arrives on the heels of Sygnum Europe AG securing a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) license under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework in Liechtenstein. By maintaining fully compliant, bank-grade infrastructure across both Swiss and EU jurisdictions, Sygnum enables traditional institutions to deploy regulated digital asset products in months rather than spending years building proprietary stack operations.
