Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank, has entered a partnership with Galaxy Digital to introduce cryptocurrency trading services for its customers. The planned offering will allow clients of the bank and its mobile banking unit, Pepper, to buy, hold and sell bitcoin, ether and solana through a dedicated section of the Leumi Trade capital markets application.

The service is targeted for an early 2027 launch and would position Bank Leumi as the first bank in Israel to provide direct digital asset trading to retail and business customers. Galaxy will supply the underlying infrastructure, with trading and related services delivered through its GalaxyOne Institutional platform and custody support provided by Galaxy’s custody infrastructure, previously known as GK8.

Service Details and Scope

Customers will access the three cryptocurrencies inside the existing Leumi Trade app rather than through a separate exchange or wallet. Bank Leumi serves millions of households, small businesses and corporate clients across its retail and commercial operations. The bank and Galaxy have not disclosed trading fees, minimum amounts, eligibility criteria or commercial terms of the agreement.

Bitcoin and ether form the core of the initial asset list as the two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with solana included as the third supported network at launch. No information has been released on whether staking services will be available for ether or solana, or whether additional assets will be added later.

Galaxy’s Role in Trading and Custody

GalaxyOne Institutional is designed for banks, asset managers and other professional clients, combining trading, financing, staking, custody and research capabilities. Under the agreement, it will handle execution and related services for Leumi. A separate arrangement covers the custody infrastructure that will support the bank’s digital asset operations.

Lior Lamesh, chief executive of Galaxy Israel, described the collaboration as part of a broader effort to deliver integrated trading and custody solutions to banks.

Earlier Efforts and Regulatory Context

Bank Leumi previously explored digital asset services in 2022 through a partnership with Paxos that was intended to enable bitcoin and ether trading via its Pepper Invest unit. That initiative did not reach customers after regulatory approvals failed to materialize.

The current plan arrives amid changes in Israel’s regulatory approach to crypto. Over the past year, the Bank of Israel has eased earlier restrictions that had automatically delayed crypto-linked deposits and allowed broad refusals of funds from licensed providers. Additional rules have set capital and security requirements for firms handling digital assets and expanded the list of permitted coins for trading.

Israel recorded approximately $22 billion in on-chain crypto value in the year through mid-2025, according to industry data, while activity across the wider Middle East and North Africa region rose by 33 percent to more than $500 billion over a comparable period.

Broader Institutional Momentum

The Leumi partnership adds to Galaxy’s recent work with traditional financial institutions. Earlier in 2026 the firm expanded arrangements involving institutional staking infrastructure with BNY and a referral structure with Morgan Stanley for certain wealth-management clients holding bitcoin, ether and solana.

Galaxy, led by Mike Novogratz, began trading on Nasdaq under the ticker GLXY in May 2025. The company has not disclosed the expected financial contribution of the Leumi agreements. The service remains subject to regulatory approval ahead of the targeted early 2027 rollout.