Garanti BBVA Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Garanti BBVA Financial Technologies, has launched a crypto wallet and trading platform enabling its customers to purchase, sell, and store Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USD Coin seamlessly through the bank’s mobile app.
The new “Garanti BBVA Crypto” service began as a beta test with a limited user base before rolling out to all customers after successful trials. The bank stated it plans to further expand its crypto capabilities and improve the experience for users embracing this new digital asset class.
Jeremy Allaire, CEO of crypto financial firm Circle, tweeted: “One of Turkey’s biggest retail banks just greenlit using USDC and rolled out a built-in crypto wallet. A watershed moment.”
But crypto isn’t the only fintech frontier Garanti BBVA is exploring. The bank will soon unveil the Bonus Platinum Biometric Card, allowing customers to authorize transactions via fingerprint scan for enhanced security and convenience.
Garanti BBVA is also launching a “Request Payment” feature to facilitate easier digital money transfers aligning with evolving customer needs
While exciting, the bank’s move into crypto highlights the challenges traditional finance faces with these new digital assets. US regulators recently examined Evolve Bank & Trust over anti-money laundering issues related to partnering with troubled fintechs. Similarly, Swiss crypto bank FlowBank was shut down due to insufficient capital.
