Bison Bank has made history as the first bank in Portugal to directly operate as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under the European MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulation. This milestone, announced on July 29, 2026, positions Bison Bank at the intersection of traditional finance and the digital asset economy, offering institutional clients a regulated gateway to crypto-assets.
The CASP license, granted by the Bank of Portugal, follows the merger of Bison Bank's fully owned subsidiary, Bison Digital Assets (BDA), into the parent bank. BDA had been the first bank-owned Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Portugal since 2022, serving approximately 275 clients and handling a traded volume of €165 million in 2025. The integration now allows Bison Bank to provide custody, exchange, and advisory services for crypto-assets under a unified, bank-grade compliance and risk management framework.
António Henriques, CEO of Bison Bank, emphasized the strategic importance of this move: "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. 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."
The new structure supports innovative products such as the recently launched EUB and USB E-money tokens (stablecoins) and future real-world asset (RWA) tokenization solutions. This strategy is underpinned by strong financial performance: Bison Bank closed 2025 with a 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 also recognized with the "Portugal's Best for Digital Assets" distinction at the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2026.
Bison Bank is a Portuguese bank providing Private Banking, Depositary Bank, Corporate Advisory, and Digital Assets services to individual and institutional clients, connecting European and global markets. By becoming a MiCA-regulated CASP, Bison Bank joins a limited group of 30 EU banking institutions authorized to offer crypto-asset services, setting a precedent for the integration of digital assets into mainstream banking.
