Major French banking group BPCE is rolling out crypto trading services for roughly 2 million retail customers through its Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Épargne mobile apps. The offer will be made available starting December 8 and is part of a phased launch that will eventually extend across BPCE’s entire network by 2026.
The service is being delivered through Hexarq, BPCE’s crypto-focused subsidiary, which received authorization under France’s PSAN (Prestataire de Services sur Actifs Numériques) regulatory regime last year. Users will be able to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and USDC directly through their existing banking apps, with a €2.99 monthly fee and a 1.5% trading commission.
BPCE’s launch comes amid a broader wave of European banks, such as BBVA and Santander’s Openbank, that have started offering similar crypto services. Bank officials say the step-by-step rollout will help handle growth smoothly and keep systems stable. They also stress that it follows French and EU MiCA rules, which aim to increase oversight and protect everyday users.
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Helping French Retail Investors
This move simplifies the process for French retail investors and integrates crypto trading into the secure banking system. Moreover, it’s a move towards making crypto more mainstream, as users don’t have to open separate standalone accounts on exchanges but will get access from their trusted banking environment.
As EU stablecoin volumes exploded 2,727% from mid-2024 to 2025, according to Chainalysis, BPCE’s USDC inclusion taps into that liquidity wave, letting savers hedge euros against inflation. For France’s 2 million pilot users, this BPCE move could democratize cryptocurrency trading in an unprecedented way.
