Circle Senior Director Patrick Hansen said that more than 50 European banks are already offering crypto-tied services. The head of the circle shared this fact, responding to the recent leadership of the US Department for Currency Controller (OCC).
Recently, the OCC has published a statement that states that banks can now participate in some crypto services, including Stab Epo and Cryptographic Guardians. While many welcomed this step as the end of the Chokepoint 2.0 operation, Hansen noted that American banks are behind his European colleague.
According to Hansen, European banks have spent the past few years, creating their infrastructure and experience to serve the crypto industry, and they already offer trade, disposal, guardianship, stables, payments and banking.
He said:
“European banks, including several G-SIB (global system banks), spent years on the creation of infrastructure, developing examination and ensuring the approval of regulatory authorities.”
Data from Concub support Hansen’s statement. According to the report published last year, in Europe, including the UK, there were the most crypto-friendly banks, 55 years old. Asia was 24 years old, while in North America it was 23.
Hansen also listed several European banks that already offer crypto services. These include BBVA, which recently received the approval of regulatory organs in Spain to offer its customers cryptocurrency trading and the guardianship of bitcoins and Ethereum.
Several famous banks, including Societe Generale, Santander, Standard Chartered, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, also offer crypto services.
Nevertheless, the head of the circle noted that some changes have occurred on this list. Fidor Bank has already stopped working, while SEBA is now known as Amina Bank and no longer serves retail trade. Nevertheless, new banks offering crypto services also appeared in Europe. These include the Trading Republic in Germany, Bison Bank in Portugal and Banca Intesa in Italy.
Experts say that the EU rules responsible for Europe will lead to crypto-banking for years
Although recent changes in US banking policy can lead to more American banks, Khnsen expects Europe that Europe will remain forward for several years. He noted that this is one of the few cases when Europe has an advantage of the pioneer, and the rules of the market for crypto assets (Mica) make it possible to fix this position.
This point of view is consistent with the earliest opinion of Hansen, in which he attributed a high level of access to banking for cryptocurrency services for the clarity of regulation in the region. He quoted several EU rules, including the 2000 E-money directive, the 2007 payment service directive and the Mica in 2024, which contributed to this clarity.
He wrote:
“The point is not that European banks are more risky or innovative, but rather because the EU rules in payments and cryptography create legal clarity and, importantly, actively encourage, do not limit, competition and innovation in payments.”
Nevertheless, the improved clarity of regulation in the United States can lead to the fact that Europe will lose this advantage, especially when both regions are moving in different directions recently
Since the administration of President Donald Trump began on January 20, significant changes have occurred in the US -regulatory approach, including the resolution of cryptography and the ban on the digital currency of the Central Bank (CBDC). For its part, the European Central Bank (ECB) wants to submit digital euros by October 2025.
