Danske Bank has announced that it is granting self-directed clients access to Bitcoin and Ether ETPs, following years of caution regarding cryptocurrency. The bank cited increased customer demand and more transparent EU regulations as the reasons for this decision.
Danske Bank, the largest bank in Denmark and a significant retail bank in Northern Europe with over five million members, is letting clients buy Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded products (ETPs) from BlackRock and WisdomTree for the first time through its eBanking and Mobile Banking platforms.
Only self-directed investors, those who trade on the bank’s platform without seeking investment advice, can access the new offering, announced on Wednesday. The bank says this is a direct response to “increasing customer demand” and “improved regulation” in the wake of the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regime.
The bank said that customers can first buy three “carefully selected” ETPs, two of which track Bitcoin (BTC $67,578) and one of which tracks Ether (ETH $1,970). These ETPs are offered by BlackRock and WisdomTree and are protected by Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID) rules on investor protection and cost transparency. The bank says that these rules make it easier to trade and keep coins safe.
Regulation and risk controls shape the offering
Kerstin Lysholm, who is in charge of investment products and offerings at Danske Bank, said in the release that the bank was getting “an increasing number of enquiries from customers wanting the option of investing in cryptocurrencies as part of their investment portfolio” as cryptocurrencies have become more common as an asset class.
She also said that regulation had “generally increased confidence in cryptocurrencies,” which prompted the bank to decide that “the time is ripe” to provide these products to customers who are willing to take “very high risks.”
From outright ban to limited exposure
The change comes after years of being careful with digital assets. Danske Bank declared in 2018 that it was against cryptocurrencies and wouldn’t let anyone trade them or comparable instruments on its own platforms. It also warned consumers against investing because of worries about transparency, regulation, volatility, and financial crime.
Danske changed its policy in 2021 with a four-point notice. It said that it would not offer any cryptocurrency services to its customers directly, but it would not stop transactions arriving from crypto platforms.
Lysholm added that Danske still saw crypto as “opportunistic investments” rather than part of a long-term portfolio plan. He also said that access to ETPs “should not be seen as a recommendation of the asset class.”
The announcement says that investing in cryptocurrencies “involves a very high risk” and can lead to big losses. It is also adding an appropriateness check to the flow. Customers must answer questions before they can trade to make sure they have enough expertise and knowledge to grasp the risks and features of crypto ETPs.
Broader European banking trend
In 2025, BBVA, Spain’s second-largest bank, began offering Bitcoin and Ether trading and custody to all retail customers in Spain. Before that, they had tested comparable services for private banking clients in Switzerland.
According to reports, Deutsche Bank in Germany is also getting ready to launch a crypto custody service in 2026 with the help of Bitpanda and the Swiss digital asset business Taurus.