Raiffeisen Bank International has entered a group-wide partnership with Bitpanda to supply digital asset infrastructure across its network of banks in Central and Eastern Europe. The arrangement allows individual network banks to introduce cryptocurrency services while retaining control over product design and launch schedules according to local market conditions and regulatory rules.

Bitpanda Enterprise will deliver the underlying technology for trading and related digital asset capabilities. The framework builds on earlier integrations already operating in Austria and is designed so that customers can access crypto products through their existing banking relationships rather than opening separate accounts with an external platform.

Scope and Customer Reach

RBI operates subsidiary banks in 11 Central and Eastern European markets and serves more than 18 million customers. The partnership creates a common technical foundation that participating banks can adopt. Rollout will occur gradually, with each institution deciding which services to offer and when to introduce them.

A Bitpanda spokesperson confirmed that the process remains at an early stage. Further details will be released as individual markets finalize their plans. The banking group employs roughly 42,000 people and maintains about 1,300 business outlets, the majority located in the region covered by the new framework.

Höllerer noted that the bank has observed rising demand for crypto assets across its markets and is responding through the collaboration with Bitpanda.

Building on Existing Austrian Integrations

The group-level agreement expands a model first introduced in 2024 with Austria’s Raiffeisenlandesbank Niederösterreich-Wien. Under that arrangement, Bitpanda supplied the technology that enabled customers to access digital assets inside their regular banking environment. Raiffeisen Landesbank Tirol later adopted a similar service in June, adding another Austrian regional bank to the list of institutions using the same infrastructure.

By standardizing the technical layer at the network level while leaving product and timing decisions to local banks, RBI aims to reduce implementation complexity and allow each subsidiary to move at a pace consistent with its regulatory environment.

Regulatory Setting and Industry Context

Bitpanda holds authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. The shared regulatory framework is intended to support banks seeking to offer crypto services without constructing their own trading and custody systems from scratch.

European banks have increased their presence on the official crypto provider register maintained by the European Securities and Markets Authority. By mid-September, banking institutions accounted for nearly 23 percent of listed entities after their numbers roughly doubled in recent months. Credit institutions may provide certain crypto services after notifying their home regulators, while specialized crypto firms generally require full authorization as crypto-asset service providers.

Bitpanda has continued to expand its institutional infrastructure business, supplying technology to other financial firms for trading, custody, liquidity and related services. The company reported adjusted revenue of €371 million for 2025, equivalent to approximately $403 million at current exchange rates, with a user base of 7.4 million.

Participating RBI network banks will determine the precise products and launch dates that fit their local requirements. The partnership establishes the shared infrastructure needed for those decisions rather than mandating a uniform rollout across all markets at once.