Key Takeaways
- • Fibank (First Investment Bank) and Bitpanda GmbH signed a strategic partnership agreement, under which Fibank customers gain direct access to Bitpanda's crypto asset services inside the My Fibank mobile app, according to a Fibank press release dated October 12, 2026.
- • Fibank becomes the first bank in Bulgaria to integrate crypto asset trading into its mobile banking app, serving more than one million customers, with launch expected in early 2027.
- • Access is subject to customer approval by Bitpanda and its terms; the minimum investment is €1 and services are available 24/7.
- • Bitpanda Enterprise, the institutional arm of Bitpanda, supplies the infrastructure; the press release states crypto assets carry no deposit guarantees or compensation schemes.
Summary
Fibank (First Investment Bank) and Bitpanda GmbH have entered into a strategic partnership agreement that will give Fibank customers direct technical access to crypto asset services provided by Bitpanda, an Austria-based, fully licensed crypto asset service provider, through the My Fibank mobile application. According to the Fibank press release issued from Sofia on October 12, 2026, Fibank becomes the first bank in Bulgaria to offer integrated access to crypto asset trading within its app. Syndicated coverage from several outlets describes the same arrangement, with the service expected to launch in early 2027 for the bank's base of more than one million users.
Once customers pass a straightforward application process and are accepted by Bitpanda under its own terms and criteria, they can access a suite of crypto asset services around the clock through Bitpanda's interface inside My Fibank. The minimum investment is €1. The bank stresses that these digital assets differ from deposits and traditional financial instruments, carry no guarantees or compensation schemes, and that customers should familiarize themselves with their risks before investing.
Nikola Bakalov, CEO of Fibank, said that customer financial habits are evolving rapidly and that the partnership is a natural next step in developing My Fibank into a comprehensive digital financial platform, emphasizing the importance of working with an established European technology partner in line with applicable regulation. Nadeem Ladki, Global Head of Bitpanda Enterprise, said digital assets are becoming part of mainstream finance and that banks are central to that shift.
Bitpanda Enterprise describes itself as the institutional infrastructure arm of Bitpanda, offering investment infrastructure, liquidity, custody, payments, stablecoins and tokenisation to banks, fintechs, brokers and family offices. Its institutional partners include N26, Société Générale, Deutsche Börse Group, selected Raiffeisen Banks, RAKBANK and Onda Finance. Fibank, the largest bank with Bulgarian-owned capital, operates primarily in Bulgaria with a branch in Cyprus and a subsidiary in Albania. The companies say the offering is limited in Bulgaria and the wider region, positioning Fibank among the first EU credit institutions to provide this type of direct access through digital channels.
Once customers pass a straightforward application process and are accepted by Bitpanda under its own terms and criteria, they can access a suite of crypto asset services around the clock through Bitpanda's interface inside My Fibank. The minimum investment is €1. The bank stresses that these digital assets differ from deposits and traditional financial instruments, carry no guarantees or compensation schemes, and that customers should familiarize themselves with their risks before investing.
Nikola Bakalov, CEO of Fibank, said that customer financial habits are evolving rapidly and that the partnership is a natural next step in developing My Fibank into a comprehensive digital financial platform, emphasizing the importance of working with an established European technology partner in line with applicable regulation. Nadeem Ladki, Global Head of Bitpanda Enterprise, said digital assets are becoming part of mainstream finance and that banks are central to that shift.
Bitpanda Enterprise describes itself as the institutional infrastructure arm of Bitpanda, offering investment infrastructure, liquidity, custody, payments, stablecoins and tokenisation to banks, fintechs, brokers and family offices. Its institutional partners include N26, Société Générale, Deutsche Börse Group, selected Raiffeisen Banks, RAKBANK and Onda Finance. Fibank, the largest bank with Bulgarian-owned capital, operates primarily in Bulgaria with a branch in Cyprus and a subsidiary in Albania. The companies say the offering is limited in Bulgaria and the wider region, positioning Fibank among the first EU credit institutions to provide this type of direct access through digital channels.
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