Major Israeli Bank Leumi Unleashes Bitcoin Trading for Clients

Bank Leumi, Israel's largest financial institution, is poised to make history by becoming the first bank in the country to offer direct Bitcoin trading services to its customers. This groundbreaking initiative, announced on a Friday, will be facilitated through a strategic partnership with Galaxy Digital, a leading provider of financial services and investment management in the digital asset sector.

The service, which will allow Bank Leumi customers to seamlessly buy, hold, and sell Bitcoin directly through its dedicated mobile banking application, PEPPER, is expected to launch in early 2027. This timeline aligns with earlier statements of the service becoming available 'early next year', as indicated by a tweet from Bitcoin Magazine dated August 14, 2026, specifying an early 2027 rollout. Beyond Bitcoin, the bank has also indicated plans to enable trading for other cryptocurrencies, broadening its digital asset offerings.

This move marks a significant re-entry into the cryptocurrency space for Bank Leumi, which had initially announced plans to debut crypto trading in 2022 but subsequently shelved the project. The current endeavor will leverage Galaxy’s robust institutional platform, GalaxyOne Institutional, designed to provide secure and reliable trading and other services for banks, asset managers, and various financial institutions.

Maya Ravia, Bank Leumi’s Head of Strategy, underscored the bank's vision in a statement, emphasizing, “We believe that digital assets are gradually becoming an integral part of the global financial system, and it is our role to enable customers to benefit from this development within a reliable, secure, and regulated banking framework.” This sentiment was echoed by Lior Lamesh, CEO of Galaxy Israel, who stated, “The future of finance will run on open, programmable rails, and we believe the banks that move first will define the era that follows.” Lamesh further elaborated on Galaxy’s commitment to building a unified platform for trading and custody, prioritizing institutional-grade security and leveraging onchain infrastructure.

The expansion of crypto services by a major Israeli bank comes amid a backdrop of growing digital asset adoption within the country. According to research by Chainalysis, crypto adoption in Israel has been steadily increasing, with geopolitical factors, including regional conflicts such such as the war in Gaza and Iran, reportedly influencing Israelis to consider digital assets as a potential 'safe-haven' investment.