Bank Leumi to bring bitcoin, ether and solana trading to its banking app
Israel’s largest bank says it will use Galaxy’s trading and custody infrastructure to offer selected digital assets to Leumi and PEPPER customers in early 2027.
By The Third AnglePublished 3 min read
A modern office building used as an illustrative image for the bank-and-crypto infrastructure partnership; it does not depict Bank Leumi or Galaxy. Photo: Unsplash · Unsplash License
Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank, plans to offer customers the ability to buy, hold and sell selected digital assets through its Leumi Trade capital-markets application. In a Galaxy announcement dated Aug. 14, the firms said the service is expected to become available in early 2027 and will initially include bitcoin, ether and solana.
The partnership would make Leumi the first Israeli bank to offer direct digital-asset trading, according to the announcement. Customers of Leumi and PEPPER, the bank’s mobile-banking arm, would access the service inside a dedicated, secured section of the existing app rather than through a separate crypto exchange.
Galaxy supplies the trading and custody layer
Leumi will use GalaxyOne Institutional for trading and related services. The bank also signed an agreement with Galaxy’s Custody Infrastructure platform, formerly known as GK8, to support the digital-asset infrastructure behind the offering. The release describes the arrangement as a bank-facing technology and custody partnership, not a new token or blockchain launch.
Galaxy’s role matters because the service will have to connect customer orders, asset custody, controls and the bank’s existing compliance framework. The announcement does not disclose fees, the final list of supported assets, customer eligibility rules or whether customers will be able to withdraw assets to external wallets.
Israel’s compliance rules remain part of the product
Bank Leumi’s published virtual-currency policy shows the operational constraints that will sit behind any launch. The bank says it assesses the source and path of funds, the customer’s tax position and the wallets and exchanges used through the activity. Its current policy also lists bitcoin, ether, solana, XRP and USDC as approved asset types, while noting that the list can change.
That makes the early-2027 date a product target rather than proof that trading is already live. The meaningful next disclosures will be the final asset menu, custody and withdrawal rules, customer eligibility and the approvals required before the service reaches customers. The partnership is nevertheless a clear sign that regulated banking infrastructure is moving toward direct digital-asset distribution in Israel.
