TLDR
Israels largest bank, Bank Leumi, is planning to offer retail trading in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) through its own app, pending regulatory approval.
- Bank Leumi, with Galaxy Digital as partner, aims to launch BTC, ETH, and SOL trading inside its Leumi Trade and PEPPER apps in early 2027, subject to Bank of Israel approval.
- The service would let around 2.5 million customers buy and sell crypto directly from their banking interface, using Galaxys institutional custody, but without deposit insurance on those assets.
- Key next steps are regulatory sign off, final asset lists, fees, and whether rival Israeli banks follow with similar offerings, which would expand mainstream crypto access in the country.
Deep Dive
1. What Bank Leumi Is Launching
Bank Leumi has announced a partnership with Galaxy Digital to embed Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana trading into a secured section of its Leumi Trade capital markets app and PEPPER digital bank.Bank Leumi partnership
Reports say the launch target is early 2027 and that the service would be Israels first crypto trading product offered directly by a bank, but it still requires approval from the Bank of Israel.Crypto trading launch in early 2027
This is Leumis second attempt; a similar 2022 plan with Paxos was blocked by regulators, highlighting how dependent the new service is on the updated rulebook.
2. How This Changes Crypto Access In Israel
Leumi customers would be able to buy, hold, and sell BTC, ETH, and SOL alongside stocks and bonds, without opening separate exchange accounts or managing their own wallets.Bank Leumi partnership
GalaxyOnes infrastructure and the GK8-derived custody system would handle trading and safekeeping, with Leumi doing tax reporting, but crypto balances would not be covered by traditional deposit insurance, similar to a brokerage account.
Regulatory changes in 2026, including reduced automatic delays on large crypto-related deposits and draft rules for trading top market cap assets, are part of what makes a bank-led model more viable now.Crypto trading launch in early 2027
For Israeli users, BTC, ETH, and SOL could become one tap products inside their main bank app, but still carry normal market and custody risk.
3. What To Watch Next
The decisive factor is whether the Bank of Israel signs off on Leumis plan; regulators blocked the 2022 attempt, so approval is not guaranteed.
If it goes ahead, details like supported assets beyond BTC, ETH, SOL, fee levels, withdrawal policies, and education around risk will determine how widely the service is used.
Other major banks in Israel have not yet announced similar products, so Leumis move could either remain a one-off or trigger a broader shift toward bank-integrated crypto access.Bank Leumi partnership
Conclusion
Bank Leumis planned BTC, ETH, and SOL trading is a significant step toward making crypto a standard feature of Israeli banking, but it is still at the proposal stage. If regulators approve and competitors follow, mainstream access to these three assets in Israel could expand meaningfully, with banks becoming direct gateways into the crypto market rather than just observers.
CoinsKid.Com