Update (April 29 at 8:54 p.m. UTC): This article has been updated to incorporate comments from Bunqs CEO in CoinTelegraph.
The second largest Neobank in Europe, Bunq, grows in cryptocurrency and leads the demand from the retail investor worldwide in response to digital assets.
The Neobank, based in Amsterdam, announced the beginning of Bunq Crypto on April 29, a brand new offer that permits its users to speculate in over 300 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (Ether) and Solana (Sol).
From April 29, Bunq users within the Netherlands, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy and Belgium can access cryptocurrencies directly via the Bunq app.
Ali Niknam, CEO of Bunq, said CoinTelegraph that the move from the growing customer demand for digital assets was due. “We imagine that many, many individuals, the overwhelming majority, at the moment are considering crypto, and we imagine that they’re considering buying crypto through an environment that they will trust and with whom they will move into they usually can recognize,” he said.
In addition, a friendly regulatory landscape has contributed to clearing the best way for the bank's expansion in crypto. “I believe the longer term of crypto from a regulatory viewpoint was a bit unclear. And we’ve got seen a big a part of this modification previously few months. And that's why we felt sufficiently secure as a regulated company to supply this to most people,” said Niknam.
The crypto offer is operated in cooperation with Kraken, the 14th largest centralized cryptocurrency exchange worldwide.
All-in-one financial platforms in focus
This is the primary phase of the worldwide crypto expansion of Bunq with plans to regularly introduce trading in all the European economic area in addition to within the USA and within the United Kingdom.
From June 2024, Bunq reported greater than 12.5 million users and nine million users within the previous yr.
The step of Bunq reflects a broader trend amongst financial institutions who wish to consolidate the services – banking transactions, savings and investments – in individual digital platforms.
In a contribution in February on X, the CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong said, expects future financial systems to be anchored by a “single primary financial account” through which users manage all their financial activities.
Demand for simplified crypto access
The research commissioned by Bunq shows a big gap between available crypto offers and user expectations in Europe. According to the study, an estimated 65% of European consumers are on the lookout for a uniform platform to oversee banking, saving and cryptocurrency investments.
Over 50% of the investors surveyed want crypto exposure, but said that the prevailing platforms don’t meet their requirements, especially with regard to simplicity and security for brand spanking new investors.
“Our users all over the world have long waited for a straightforward, secure and uncomplicated option to put money into digital assets,” said Ali Niknam, founder and CEO of Bunq. “Now all the pieces you ever have to avoid wasting, spend and invest – including crypto – on a platform.”
The Bunq crypto expansion follows the move of Revolut in November 2024 to expand its crypto exchange services to 30 European farm market markets.
