BBVA Expands Crypto Services, Offers USDC to Swiss Clients

Via its Swiss business, the massive Spanish bank BBVA has made Circle’s USDC stablecoin available to its esteemed clientele. According to a press release on September 9, 2024, this new solution improves BBVA Switzerland’s platform and enables institutional and private banking clients to handle USDC alongside traditional assets.

Seamless Integration of Stablecoin Services

Clients of BBVA Switzerland can now exchange, store, and convert USDC into currencies like euros and U.S. dollars. This integration allows for quicker transactions, benefiting institutional clients who regularly use stablecoins to trade cryptocurrencies on various platforms. The efficiency of these transactions is particularly beneficial for investment fund managers who need reliable tools for managing large sums across exchanges.

Philippe Meyer, BBVA Switzerland’s head of digital solutions and blockchain, emphasized the importance of offering secure and reliable crypto solutions to institutional clients. “They need us to provide options to guarantee the assets they manage,” he said. BBVA Switzerland continues to assess client needs, aiming to further develop its cryptocurrency offerings in response to market demand.

BBVA’s integration of USDC follows its 2023 migration to Metaco’s Harmonize platform, a blockchain infrastructure solution owned by Ripple. Harmonize allows clients to connect to multiple blockchain networks, simplifying the process of conducting transactions across platforms. This service is also available through BBVA’s Turkish subsidiary, Garanti BBVA Digital Assets, which offers a range of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Avalanche.

Although it’s unclear exactly which networks, like Coinbase’s Base layer-2, will support USDC, BBVA’s dedication to growing its cryptocurrency services is clear. This action is in line with the bank’s larger plan to improve its services in the quickly developing field of digital assets.