Spanish Bank Invests in Crypto Exchange, Signaling Shift Towards Cooperation
Bankinter, one of Spain's major banks, has become the latest traditional finance player to invest in Bit2Me, a Madrid-based cryptocurrency exchange. The bank acquired a minority stake in Bit2Me as part of a €30 million funding round led by stablecoin issuer Tether in August 2025.
This investment marks a significant shift towards greater cooperation between traditional banking and regulated cryptocurrency platforms in Europe. Bankinter now joins fellow Spanish banks BBVA, Unicaja, and Cecabank as shareholders in Bit2Me.
The partnership aims to explore technological synergies around distributed ledger technology solutions. According to Bit2Me, this collaboration will allow banks to leverage the exchange's regulatory expertise rather than compete directly with it.