Belgian banking and insurance giant KBC Group has partnered with Swiss fintech company Taurus SA to provide institutional custody services for new crypto-asset products, according to a statement on Tuesday.
The partnership will enable KBC to deploy its bank-grade digital asset custody platform, Taurus-PROTECT, as the basis for regulated cryptocurrency trading through KBC’s voluntary investment platform, Bolero.
The service was launched last month, making KBC the first Belgian bank to offer crypto trading within a fully regulated banking framework.
At launch, retail investors will have access to Bitcoin and Ethereum through execution only, and transactions will be conducted in compliance with the European Union’s Cryptoassets Market Regulation (MiCAR) framework.
Eric Lutz, chief innovation officer at KBC Group, said the bank’s partnership with Taurus was prompted by the growing demand for cryptocurrencies among its customers. This partnership will enable KBC to offer regulated encryption services with the same rigorous security and oversight applied across its operations.
“Working with Taurus allows us to offer crypto services supported by bank-level custody, ensuring the same level of security, governance and control that defines our organization-wide approach. This partnership allows us to turn regulated cryptocurrency trading into a tangible and trusted service for our clients,” said Latz.
KBC is building its service around a closed operating model where crypto assets purchased through Bolero remain within the platform rather than being transferred to an external wallet or exchange.
This approach eliminates the need for clients to manage private keys, reducing exposure to operational, fraud, and security vulnerabilities that have historically plagued retail cryptocurrency custodial agreements.
KBC’s approach emphasizes the importance of a robust bank-level infrastructure to offer regulated cryptocurrency products, said Lmine Brahimi, co-founder and managing partner of Taurus.
“We are proud to support KBC’s first-to-market initiative in Belgium with Taurus-PROTECT, our institutional custody platform designed specifically for banks,” he said.
The partnership signals that MiCAR’s competitive and regulatory impact will accelerate the adoption of cryptocurrencies by institutional investors across European banks.
Traditional financial firms, which have so far shunned digital assets, are facing pressure to offer regulated services as customers increasingly seek exposure through trusted financial institutions rather than standalone crypto exchanges.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. Please see our Editorial Policy for more information on how we create and review content.
