The post Israel’s Oldest Bank Bets Big on Bitcoin, Ether and Solana Trading – Bitcoin News appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Key Takeaways Bank Leumi and Galaxy Digital target an early 2027 crypto trading launch. Israel’s 2026 regulatory changes may make bank-based crypto access more viable. The Bank of Israel must approve Leumi’s bitcoin, ethereum and solana service. Israel’s largest and oldest commercial bank unveiled the deal this week with Galaxy Digital Inc., the Nasdaq-listed crypto firm led by Mike Novogratz. The launch target is early 2027, but the Bank of Israel still holds the kill switch. Leumi and its mobile banking arm, PEPPER, would place the service in a sealed-off section of the Leumi Trade investment app. Customers could buy, hold, and sell selected crypto assets besides familiar products, including stocks and bonds. That setup strips away the usual crypto obstacle course. Customers would not need accounts at standalone exchanges or personal wallets, which hold the credentials needed to control digital assets. A Bank-Controlled Path Into Crypto Galaxy will supply the trading and custody machinery behind the proposed service. Custody is the unglamorous but critical business of protecting assets and the private keys that move them. Image source: X Trading would run through Galaxy’s institutional arm, a platform made for banks and large investment firms. Leumi also plans to deploy Galaxy’s custody infrastructure, formerly GK8, under a white-label arrangement. Put plainly, Leumi would run the system under its own name rather than hand clients to an outside exchange or custodian. That distinction is the whole point: customers would face their bank, not another crypto intermediary. Leumi also expects to handle tax reporting under Israeli Tax Authority rules, although fees, trading limits, and the complete list of eligible assets remain undisclosed. The service is not a self-custody crypto wallet. Customers would not hold their private keys. The arrangement works like a conventional brokerage account, where an institution holds securities for a…