BancaStato launches regulated Bitcoin trading through Sygnum on Avaloq apps
The Ticino cantonal bank is the first institution on Avaloq’s SaaS platform to offer Sygnum-powered crypto trading, with client assets held in off-balance-sheet custody and broader EU expansion supported by MiCAR licensing.
BancaStato has rolled out regulated cryptocurrency trading that lets customers buy, sell and hold Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Solana through its existing web and mobile banking channels. The launch makes it the first bank operating on Avaloq’s software-as-a-service platform to offer crypto trading through Sygnum’s API, embedding digital assets into the bank’s existing investment interface rather than sending clients to a separate platform. The service is designed so BancaStato does not need to build its own trading stack or operate a standalone order management system. Sygnum provides execution and institutional-grade custody through a direct integration with Avaloq’s hosted core banking environment, while customer assets are held off BancaStato’s balance sheet in a legally ring-fenced structure intended to protect them in the event of the bank’s financial distress. Clients can place orders either by cryptocurrency amount or by U.S. dollar value. BancaStato, formally Banca dello Stato del Cantone Ticino, is a state-owned bank founded in 1915 and chartered by the Canton of Ticino. Its addition extends Sygnum’s B2B network, which includes more than 25 banks and financial institutions such as PostFinance, Zuger Kantonalbank and SocGen FORGE. Sygnum says the network already enables more than a third of the Swiss population to access digital assets through partner banks. The launch also highlights the wider distribution potential of Sygnum’s model. Avaloq says it serves more than 170 financial institutions, and BancaStato’s rollout provides a live example of how regulated crypto trading can be integrated into that software stack without separate middleware. The move comes after Sygnum Europe received a Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence from Liechtenstein’s Financial Market Authority under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation on June 30, 2026, a step that allows it to passport services across the EU and EEA even though BancaStato itself is covered by Sygnum’s Swiss banking licence.
- software-as-a-service platform: A hosted software model in which the provider runs and maintains the system for clients rather than installing it on the client’s own infrastructure.
- order management system: Software that financial institutions use to route, manage and track trade orders.
- Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence: A regulatory authorisation under the EU’s crypto rules that permits firms to provide certain digital asset services.