Overview
- The pilot opens Dec. 8 inside Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne mobile apps across four regional banks, initially reaching roughly 2 million clients.
- Customers can buy and sell bitcoin, ether, solana and USDC directly in-app through a separate digital-asset account run by BPCE’s Hexarq unit.
- Pricing is set at €2.99 per month for the account with a 1.5% trading commission, subject to a €1 minimum per transaction.
- BPCE plans to expand access to about 12 million retail customers through 2026 based on adoption and system performance, according to a company representative.
- Hexarq previously secured PSAN authorization to provide regulated digital-asset services, and the rollout tracks with EU MiCA implementation and peers like BBVA, Santander’s Openbank and Raiffeisen expanding retail crypto offerings.