Bank Leumi Prepares 2.5M Customers for BTC Trading in Early 2027

Israel's largest bank, Bank Leumi, has announced plans to offer Bitcoin (BTC) trading through its Leumi Trade app starting in early 2027. This move is significant as it will make BTC accessible to 2.5 million retail customers without the need for a separate exchange account.

The deal between Bank Leumi and Galaxy Digital, an institutional-grade crypto platform, aims to lower the friction barrier for institutional investors to access crypto exposure. The partnership also brings Galaxy's custody architecture and Nasdaq profile, adding credibility to the deal.

This development is seen as a near-term institutional adoption signal that bears on Bitcoin's price heading into August 15. Israel's regulatory environment has become more permissive after the Banking Supervision Department scrapped its automatic crypto deposit delay in mid-July 2026 and the Capital Market Authority issued its third consecutive VASP draft circular.

The earlier Paxos deal was blocked due to approval hurdles, but the current environment improves the odds of clearance. The live probabilities from Myriad show a 97% chance of BTC being above $62,000 on August 15 at 4PM UTC.