Overview
- UniCredit is in early-stage talks to pick an external technology provider to support custody, brokerage, tokenization and client stablecoin use, and the bank declined to comment on the plans.
- The potential platform would let UniCredit hold customers' digital assets and facilitate trading and tokenized fixed-income products, but no final product decisions or contracts have been announced.
- UniCredit is already part of Qivalis, the banking group that chose Fireblocks for infrastructure and is targeting a euro stablecoin launch in the second half of 2026 pending approval from De Nederlandsche Bank.
- This week the bank bought a minority stake in VC Trade to expand its digital capital markets work, building on prior deals such as a structured product linked to BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF and a tokenized minibond.
- EU rules under MiCA are clearing a path for banks to offer these services while regulators and some UniCredit executives have warned of prudential risks tied to stablecoins and crypto-linked deposits.