Bison Bank has become the first bank in Portugal to operate directly as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under the European MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulation, consolidating its position at the forefront of financial innovation. The bank's CASP activity will be undertaken through the merger of its fully owned subsidiary, Bison Digital Assets (BDA), already approved by the Bank of Portugal. This move follows a journey that began in 2022, when BDA became the first bank-owned Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Portugal.
“We were pioneers three years ago when we realized the future of banking would involve integrating digital assets. Now, with a clear and solid European framework like MiCA, we are bringing this area into the heart of the bank,” states António Henriques, CEO of Bison Bank. “The CASP license and the merger realize our vision for the bank of the future: a single, regulated entity with the robustness of a bank and the agility of the crypto world.”
Bison Bank's CASP license, along with the integration of BDA (which in 2025 served approximately 275 clients and handled traded volume of €165 million), positions the bank to accelerate its on-chain strategy. The new CASP structure offers institutional clients simplified access to custody, exchange, and advisory services for crypto-assets under a bank-grade compliance and risk management framework. It also supports new products, including the recently launched EUB and USB E-money tokens (stablecoins), and future real-world asset (RWA) tokenization solutions.
This strategy is backed by the bank's strength. Bison Bank closed 2025 with recurring net profit of €5 million, doubling the previous year, and a CET1 capital ratio of 38.5%, among the highest in European banking. Its leadership in digital assets was recognized with the “Portugal's Best for Digital Assets” distinction at the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2026.
The announcement is significant because it marks a milestone in the integration of traditional banking with the digital asset economy under a clear regulatory framework. As the first MiCA-regulated CASP in Portugal, Bison Bank joins a limited group of 30 EU banking institutions offering crypto-asset services, bridging the gap between conventional finance and the emerging digital asset sector. This development highlights the growing acceptance of digital assets within the regulated banking system and could pave the way for other banks in Europe to follow suit, fostering greater institutional adoption and innovation in the crypto space.
