Intesa Sanpaolo, an Italian international banking group, has reportedly doubled its stake in crypto. According to Cryptovalue.it, the banking group has now invested in Ripple’s XRP via the Grayscale ETF.
As of March 31, 2026, the banking group owns 712,319 shares of the Grayscale XRP TR ETF, which is currently worth approximately $26 million.
Intesa Sanpaolo’s crypto bets
That said, as of Q4 2025, Intesa Sanpaolo had already declared positions in several US-listed ETFs, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL), through various ETFs.
For information, around $100 million has already been invested in various Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana ETFs.
At current prices, exposure of approximately $100 million for the final quarter of 2025 has increased to approximately $235 million. However, Banca Intesa also noted that, for now, crypto holdings are intended for proprietary trading purposes only.
This means that the banking group holds the asset for its own internal trading activities and not on behalf of clients.
Abandon Solana and more
Amid this positive dynamic, Intesa Sanpaolo reduced its exposure to Solana. This could be because Solana price has failed to gain bullish momentum.
For the most part, Solana was under selling pressure in Q1 2026, as AMBCrypto previously reported. That being said, SOL went from around $124 at the start of the year to $81 at the end of March 2026.
However, with the entry of Ethereum and its staking function, the general sentiment of the Italian banking group seems positive.
Additionally, since 2025, Intesa Sanpaolo also owned a number of cryptocurrency stocks. However, since the last update, BitGo shares are in, Bitmine shares are out, and Put Strategy is closed.
2026 – A truly eventful year!
This asset shakeup happened at a time when a lot had already happened in 2026. Tensions in the Middle East, Donald Trump’s tariff shocks, the Fed’s rate cut, and other factors took the crypto market by storm.
Finally, the cryptocurrency market was further strained by the proliferation of scams and exploits in 2026.
As AMBCrypto previously reported, losses surged in May, bringing the year-to-date total to nearly $770 million. As a result, more than $600 million was lost in nearly 30 incidents in April alone.
Final summary
- Intesa Sanpaolo reduced its exposure to Solana while increasing its investment in BlackRock’s ARK+21Shares ETF and iShares.
- Despite a turbulent year, the Italian banking group is echoing signs that crypto adoption is continuing.
