Spanish banking giant BBVA is deepening its crypto ecosystem. As of December 2023, BBVA holds almost 86% of the shares of Garanti BBVA Kripto, a crypto custody platform that will soon offer cryptocurrency trading services to the public. Bit2Me, a Spanish crypto exchange founded in 2014, will serve as the execution center for the trades. With the Crypto-Asset Market Regulation (MiCA) fully in effect throughout the European Union, BBVA's partnership with the crypto exchange is seen by Abel Peña, Bit2Me's chief sales officer, as a strong signal that more new developments are coming. "I believe that by 2025, we will see many banks in Europe offering crypto spot trading services to their users," Peña said in an interview. "We have very close ties with more than 50 financial institutions across Europe and international markets, and they will begin to launch their services in the first quarter of 2025." (Coindesk)