On August 14, the Israeli Bank Leumi officially announced a strategic partnership with Galaxy Digital. As part of this collaboration, customers of the credit institution and its mobile division, PEPPER, will have the opportunity to trade Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana. Digital assets will be available through a special secure section in the Leumi Trade app. According to the official press release, the full launch of the new service is scheduled for early 2027. The technological foundation for the new direction will be provided by the Galaxy company. Leumi Bank will use the GalaxyOne institutional platform and the Custody Infrastructure custody platform, which was previously known as GK8.

The top manager of the financial organization, Maya Ravia, stated that this initiative is a crucial part of the bank’s innovative strategy. According to her, this will give customers simple, secure, and fully regulated access to trading digital assets on one of the world’s best technological platforms. Ravia also emphasized that cryptocurrencies are gradually becoming an integral part of the global financial system, and the bank’s task is to provide customers with the opportunity to work with them within the framework of a strictly regulated banking model. It is worth noting that Bank Leumi has already made attempts to enter the retail crypto segment. In March 2022, the Pepper Invest platform announced a partnership with the stablecoin issuer Paxos to launch operations with Bitcoin and Ether, with a minimum entry threshold of fifty shekels. The parties planned the release after obtaining the necessary permits from regulators, but the bank never subsequently announced the actual start of the service.

According to the analytical company Chainalysis, in the year leading up to June 2025, about twenty‑two billion dollars entered Israel through on‑chain channels. Growth in the MENA region amounted to thirty‑three percent year‑on‑year, which is lower than the figures for the Asia‑Pacific region and Latin America. At the same time, analysts recorded a steady rise in retail activity in the country after October 2023: actual volumes exceeded forecasts by an average of 60.4%. It should be recalled that in April 2026, the Israel Capital Markets Authority issued a license for the first time to issue a stablecoin pegged to the national currency; the issuer was the Bits of Gold exchange.

***

The material has been prepared solely for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice or a recommendation.