Spain | Crypto

Santander’s digital bank has launched crypto trading in Germany, with a rollout to Spain planned as Europe’s largest lenders accelerate crypto services. Grupo Santander’s digital bank Openbank is expanding in Europe with a new offering for German clients amid rising demand for crypto assets. The bank said Tuesday that customers in Germany can now buy, sell and hold Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Polygon (POL) and Cardano (ADA) directly on its platform. According to Santander, the new service integrates crypto alongside Openbank’s existing investment products, eliminating the need for third-party platforms and operating under the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework. Read more

As trust in crypto exchanges remains low, Binance’s new custody deal with BBVA marks a shift toward traditional finance safeguards. Binance has partnered with BBVA, one of Spain’s biggest banks, to act as an independent custodian for customer funds, according to a Friday report in the Financial Times citing two people familiar with the arrangement. The move reportedly aims to restore confidence in centralized crypto investing following scandals such as the FTX collapse and Binance’s own regulatory troubles. The FT report said Binance users can now custody assets with BBVA, offering enhanced security through bank-backed collateral. Binance has also partnered with Switzerland’s Sygnum and FlowBank to serve as independent custodians. Read more

Roger Ver, also known as "Bitcoin Jesus," has repeatedly called the US DOJ tax evasion case against him "politically motivated." Early Bitcoin investor and advocate Roger Ver, also known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” filed a lawsuit against Spain seeking to block his extradition to the United States, where he faces a tax evasion case. The lawsuit, filed at the European Court of Human Rights, argues that the extradition violates Ver’s human rights, according to Bloomberg Law. United States Department of Justice prosecutors charged Ver with tax fraud in April 2024, alleging that he owed $48 million. Spanish law enforcement authorities arrested Ver shortly after. He posted bail in May and was allowed to leave prison. Read more

Spain’s BBVA opens retail access to Bitcoin and Ether through its mobile app, offering bank-grade custody and MiCA-backed compliance without the complexity of crypto exchanges. BBVA launched its crypto trading and custody service for retail customers in Spain on July 4, 2025, making it the first traditional bank in the country to offer such a service under the EU’s new MiCA regulations. BBVA’s crypto offering provides buy, sell and custody services for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), integrated directly into the bank’s mobile banking app. The service is designed to bring cryptocurrency access to retail investors without requiring them to use third-party exchanges or separate custodians. Read more

Update (May 10 2025): Following a detailed review of Royal Decree 253/2025, the official BOE text, and multiple independent fact‑checks, we determined that an earlier version of this article inaccurately claimed Spaniards must give 24‑hours’ notice to tax authorities before withdrawing more than €3,000 in cash and could face fines of up to €150,000 for non‑compliance. In reality, the reporting duty falls […] The post Spain demands tighter bank oversight, fuels Bitcoin appeal appeared first on CryptoSlate.