Key notes
- BPCE will allow 2 million customers to purchase BTC, ETH, SOL and USDC directly via its applications from December 8.
- Four regional banks begin deployment, with full expansion into 29 banks planned for 2026.
- The launch aligns with France’s MiCA momentum as the country considers a new “unproductive wealth” tax on crypto assets.
BPCE, the €1 trillion French banking giant and the country’s second-largest financial group, will allow its customers to purchase Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and USDC directly in its mobile banking apps starting Monday, December 8. The move, first reported by The Big Whale, represents one of the most important steps in Europe in the integration of cryptocurrency transactions into banking institutions and infrastructure.
🔴 EXCLUSIVE @TheBigWhale_: BPCE now allows its customers to purchase crypto assets.
From this Monday, customers of the French bank will be able to buy BTC, ETH, SOL and USDC: https://t.co/J2C4UnWi68@GroupeBPCEone of the main European banks, is initially deploying this service… pic.twitter.com/3olRgVoot4
— Raphaël Bloch 🐳 (@Raph_Bloch) December 6, 2025
According to an exclusive report from Raphaël Bloch, French co-founder of on-chain analytics company TheBigWhale, the rollout begins Monday, December 8 to four of the group’s 29 regional banks, targeting around two million customers in the initial phase.
Banque Populaire Île-de-France and Caisse d’Épargne Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur are among the first to onboard users. However, BPCE plans a full expansion into its remaining regional banks in 2026, based on the performance indicators of the early launch cohort.
Purchases and sales of crypto will be carried out within BPCE’s existing applications via a new digital assets account at a rate of €2.99 per month. Trading fees are set at 1.5%. Hexarq, the bank’s crypto subsidiary, will operate the service after receiving PSAN authorization almost a year ago, allowing it to provide regulated digital asset services under France’s stricter compliance framework.
MiCa implementation
The timetable corresponds to the accelerated implementation of MiCA across the European Union. France has become one of the most proactive jurisdictions in the region, attracting the interest of major global players. Gemini, the US-based exchange, was one of the first exchanges to obtain the necessary approvals, extending its services to France in November 2024.
The regulatory change in France also coincided with a growing political debate around the taxation of digital wealth. The National Assembly approved a proposed “unproductive wealth” tax on crypto assets at the end of October 2025. The proposal presented by MP Jean-Paul Mattei was narrowly adopted, 163 votes to 150, and is currently being examined in the French Senate as part of deliberations on the 2026 national budget.
If passed, the tax would take effect on January 1, 2026. The Senate previously approved the 2025 budget in February 2025, but the crypto tax amendment only surfaced in subsequent budget discussions. Its final fate now depends on Senate scrutiny.
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Ibrahim Ajibade is a seasoned research analyst with experience supporting various Web3 startups and financial organizations. He completed his undergraduate degree in Economics and is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Blockchain and Distributed Ledger technologies at the University of Malta.
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