Bank Leumi Partners with Galaxy for Crypto Trading

Bank Leumi taps Galaxy Digital to launch Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana trading via Leumi Trade by early 2027, a first for Israeli banking.

Crypto trading will be integrated into the existing Leumi Trade investment platform, with a customer launch scheduled for early 2027.

Bank Leumi Adds Cryptocurrencies Directly to Leumi Trade

Rather than building a separate crypto platform, Bank Leumi will incorporate the new service into Leumi Trade, the bank’s capital markets trading application. Clients will gain access to a dedicated section where they can buy, hold, and sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL).

Access will be available to both Bank Leumi customers and users of PEPPER, the bank’s digital banking arm. The planned launch in early 2027 provides several months for technical integration and service preparation.

This approach is significant for how the bank positions digital assets. They will not be offered through an external exchange requiring separate fund transfers; instead, they will function as another asset class within the existing investment infrastructure.

Galaxy to Provide Trading and Asset Custody

Bank Leumi will not build the core crypto infrastructure independently. For this component, the bank has turned to Galaxy Digital, which will provide the technology behind trade execution and digital asset storage.

Trading will utilize GalaxyOne Institutional, Galaxy’s platform specifically designed for financial institutions and professional investors.

A separate agreement covers Galaxy’s custody infrastructure, formerly known as GK8. This ensures that both trade execution and secure storage of crypto assets occur within a unified institutional technology environment.

For Bank Leumi, this model shortens the time to market. Instead of developing its own systems for order execution, private key management, and storage, the bank can integrate established infrastructure directly into its own application.

Why the Partnership Matters for Galaxy

The deal holds distinct strategic value for Galaxy. The company gains access to the client base of one of Israel’s leading banking institutions, providing another high-profile example of its infrastructure being utilized by the traditional finance sector.

GalaxyOne Institutional is specifically targeted at this market. Rather than competing with banks for retail customers, Galaxy provides the technological layer upon which financial institutions build their own digital asset services.

Custody infrastructure is particularly critical in this model. When offering direct crypto trading, a bank must solve not only how clients buy and sell assets but also how those assets are stored and secured following the transaction.

Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana Enter Traditional Banking

The selection of three cryptocurrencies suggests a measured initial rollout. Bank Leumi will not offer an extensive catalog of tokens at the start; instead, it will focus on BTC, ETH, and SOL—three of the largest digital assets by market capitalization.

This limits operational complexity during the early stages and allows the service to focus on assets with more mature markets and institutional infrastructure.

The most significant shift is the access channel. A customer already using Leumi Trade for traditional investments will be able to gain crypto exposure within the same banking environment, without the need to open a separate account at a specialized crypto exchange.

The planned launch in early 2027 will be the next major milestone. At that point, it will become clear how Bank Leumi structures fees, limits, and specific trading conditions, as well as whether the initial list of three cryptocurrencies will be expanded.