Spain’s second-largest bank, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), recommended that its wealthy clients should put a small portion, between 3% and 7% of their investment money, into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. How much they should invest depends on how much risk they are comfortable with.
A bank executive, Philippe Meyer, has shared this advice at a conference in London. At the conference, he has stated that adding just 3% in crypto can boost a portfolio’s returns without being too risky. He has also mentioned that clients are open to this idea. However, some are worried that crypto is unstable.
BBVA started offering crypto trading in the year 2021 and began advising its wealthy clients to invest in crypto in September 2024. According to a European financial authority (ESMA), this initiative by the bank has made it different from other European banks, as 95% of them avoid crypto due to its risks.
As per the reports, in March 2025, Spain’s regulators allowed the bank to offer Bitcoin and Ether trading to some clients, with plans to add crypto features to its mobile app soon. This step comes after the European Union’s new crypto rules, called MiCA, fully kicked in during December 2024.
These rules make crypto operations clearer and safer, and crypto companies have until July 2026 to follow them completely. Another big bank, Santander, is also looking into crypto, planning to create its own stablecoin tied to the dollar and euro and that will offer more crypto services to its customers.
However, EU regulators and the European Central Bank always warn about crypto dangers. The bold move of Spanish Bank highlights that big banks have started to trust crypto more, which could lead to more European banks getting involved in crypto.
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