Overview
- Purchases of bitcoin, ether, solana and USDC will be available inside Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne mobile apps for customers at four regional banks.
- Banque Populaire Île-de-France and Caisse d’Épargne Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur are among the first to offer access in the phased launch reported by The Big Whale.
- Trading runs through a separate digital-asset account managed by Hexarq with a €2.99 monthly fee, a 1.5% transaction commission, and a €1 minimum per trade.
- BPCE plans to expand access across its remaining regional banks through 2026 based on uptake and system performance from the initial cohort.
- The move follows Hexarq’s prior PSAN authorization and comes as EU MiCA rules advance alongside France’s debate over a proposed crypto wealth tax now before the Senate.