Israel’s largest bank, Bank Leumi, will become the first lender in the country to offer customers Bitcoin trading, according to a Friday announcement.

The bank said it will work with Galaxy Digital to provide the service, which is expected to become available to customers early next year. Bank Leumi first announced plans to introduce crypto trading in 2022, but later shelved the initiative during a deep crypto market downturn that included the collapse of the FTX exchange. The new project will use GalaxyOne Institutional, Galaxy’s institutional platform for banks, asset managers and other institutions, to support trading and related services.

Galaxy Digital, the digital-assets financial services firm founded by Mike Novogratz, expanded its institutional footprint in 2025, receiving a New York limited-purpose trust charter that allows it to offer trading and custody services to institutional clients in the United States.

JUST IN: Israel's largest bank is entering Bitcoin. Bank Leumi will allow customers to buy, hold and sell Bitcoin directly through its banking app. The service is expected to launch in early 2027. pic.twitter.com/I7QXezzDDR — Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) August 14, 2026

JUST IN: Israel's largest bank is entering Bitcoin. Bank Leumi will allow customers to buy, hold and sell Bitcoin directly through its banking app. The service is expected to launch in early 2027. pic.twitter.com/I7QXezzDDR

“We believe that digital assets are gradually becoming an integral part of the global financial system, and it is our role to enable customers to benefit from this development within a reliable, secure, and regulated banking framework,” Bank Leumi’s Head of Strategy, Maya Ravia, said in a statement.

The statement said customers will also be able to trade other cryptocurrencies in addition to Bitcoin. The service will also be available through Leumi’s mobile banking app, PEPPER, meaning customers can buy, hold and sell Bitcoin without moving funds to a standalone crypto exchange.

“The future of finance will run on open, programmable rails, and we believe the banks that move first will define the era that follows,” Galaxy Israel CEO Lior Lamesh said.

“We are building one platform for trading and custody, with institutional-grade security at its core, and the onchain rails beneath it, through Galaxy Infrastructure and GalaxyOne Institutional, for banks around the world.”

According to Chainalysis, crypto adoption in Israel has been steadily growing over the years, with geopolitical headwinds including the war in Gaza and Iran contributing to Israelis turning to digital assets as a “safe-haven.”

Leumi’s move comes as other major lenders have re-engaged with Bitcoin: in 2025, JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citigroup each said they planned to offer Bitcoin trading to clients, following regulatory shifts in the United States. In Israel, regulators already license crypto trading venues, and the Bank of Israel has been studying a digital shekel central bank digital currency.

Details still to be announced include which cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin will be available at launch, and whether other Israeli banks follow the country’s largest lender into direct crypto services.

This post Israeli Bank Leumi to Debut Bitcoin Trading With Galaxy Digital first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.