Israel’s largest bank has partnered with Galaxy to offer Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana trading through its investment app from early 2027.
Summary
- Bank Leumi will become the first Israeli bank to provide direct digital asset trading.
- Leumi and PEPPER customers will access Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana through Leumi Trade.
- GalaxyOne Institutional will handle trading, while Galaxy’s former GK8 platform will support custody.
- Galaxy has also added institutional crypto services through BNY and Morgan Stanley in 2026.
Galaxy announced the partnership with Bank Leumi on Aug. 14, saying the planned service will let customers buy, hold, and sell three cryptocurrencies without leaving the bank’s capital markets application.
The service is expected to become available in early 2027 and will cover customers of both Leumi and PEPPER, its mobile banking arm. Users will find the trading tools inside a dedicated, secured section of the Leumi Trade app, according to the announcement.
Bank Leumi, which describes itself as Israel’s leading financial institution, serves millions of households, small businesses, and corporate clients. Once the service goes live, it will become the first bank in Israel to provide digital asset trading directly to customers, the companies said.
Bank Leumi crypto trading will begin with three assets
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana will form the initial asset list, giving customers access to the three networks through an existing banking interface rather than a separate crypto exchange or self-custody wallet.
The announcement did not disclose trading fees, minimum purchase amounts, or whether the bank will add more assets after launch. Galaxy and Leumi also did not specify whether all customers will receive access at once or whether the service will begin with a phased rollout.
By placing the service inside Leumi Trade, the bank will combine crypto transactions with the application customers already use for capital markets activity. Bank Leumi said the arrangement will provide access through a regulated banking framework, while Galaxy will supply the systems needed to execute trades and support the underlying assets.
Maya Ravia, head of strategy at Bank Leumi, said the initiative would expand the financial services available to customers and provide “simple, secure, and regulated access” to digital asset trading.
“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.”
Rather than building every part of the service internally, Leumi will use two Galaxy products for separate functions. GalaxyOne Institutional will provide trading and related services, while Galaxy’s Custody Infrastructure platform will support the bank’s digital asset operations.
Galaxy will provide trading and custody infrastructure
GalaxyOne Institutional combines services including crypto trading, financing, staking, custody and research for banks, asset managers, and other professional clients. Under the Leumi agreement, the platform will handle the trading side of the bank’s planned offering.
For custody infrastructure, Leumi has signed a separate agreement covering the Galaxy platform, formerly known as GK8. Galaxy acquired GK8 from bankrupt crypto lender Celsius in 2023 and later incorporated the technology into its institutional infrastructure business.
Lior Lamesh, CEO of Galaxy Israel, said the company is building a single platform that links trading and custody for banks. He described Leumi as the first Israeli bank to bring digital asset trading to its customers.
“The future of finance will run on open, programmable rails, and we believe the banks that move first will define the era that follows,” Lamesh said.
Galaxy did not disclose the value or duration of either agreement. The announcement also provided no details about how customer assets will be held, whether the bank will use segregated wallets or what withdrawal options may be available.
Bank Leumi’s selection of Bitcoin and Ether gives customers access to the two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Solana’s inclusion places a third network alongside them at launch, although the announcement did not say whether staking will be offered for ETH or SOL.
Galaxy has added more banks to its institutional network
The Leumi agreement follows several 2026 deals through which Galaxy has supplied crypto infrastructure or services to established financial institutions.
Earlier in August, crypto.news reported on BNY adding Galaxy’s staking infrastructure to its Digital Asset Custody platform. The planned service will allow eligible institutional clients to hold and stake supported assets through one servicing model, subject to regulatory review.
BNY said Galaxy would act as both an infrastructure provider and a design partner. Clients would keep their assets within BNY’s custody framework while using Galaxy’s systems to participate in proof-of-stake networks, although the companies had not disclosed the supported assets or launch date.
In June, Galaxy also entered a Morgan Stanley arrangement for eligible wealth-management clients holding Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana. Under the referral setup, clients can lend at least $5 million in digital assets to Galaxy and receive shares in spot crypto investment products, including the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust.
The companies said the process can reduce crypto-to-exchange-traded-product onboarding times by as much as 75%. Morgan Stanley clients previously faced a $25 million minimum for the service before Galaxy lowered the threshold to $5 million under the referral arrangement.
Galaxy’s work with Leumi differs in customer scope because it places direct buying, holding, and selling functions inside a retail-facing bank application. The BNY agreement focuses on staking for eligible institutions, while the Morgan Stanley arrangement serves high-net-worth clients moving existing crypto exposure into investment products.
U.S. investors can access Galaxy through Nasdaq
Although the Leumi trading service is intended for the Israeli bank’s customers, Galaxy is a New York-headquartered public company whose Class A shares trade on Nasdaq under the GLXY ticker. American investors can therefore gain equity exposure to the company supplying Leumi’s trading and custody infrastructure, though the firms did not disclose the agreement’s expected financial contribution.
Galaxy also operates regulated digital asset services in the United States. In May, its GalaxyOne Prime NY subsidiary secured a BitLicense and a Money Transmission License from the New York State Department of Financial Services.
The approvals allow the subsidiary to provide digital asset trading and custody services to hedge funds, registered investment advisers, and family offices in New York. At the time of the approval, Galaxy said its platform managed about $9 billion in client assets and held more than 50 licenses across its international regulatory network.
New York’s framework requires licensed digital asset companies to meet capital, compliance, and cybersecurity requirements. Galaxy became the second company to receive a BitLicense in 2026, following payments company Strike, while other license holders include Coinbase, Circle, Robinhood, and PayPal.
Outside its digital asset operations, Galaxy also develops data center infrastructure in the United States. The company’s Helios campus in Texas anchors a planned pipeline with more than 5.7 gigawatts of potential capacity, according to its Aug. 14 announcement.
Bank Leumi was founded more than 120 years ago and operates without a controlling shareholder. The bank said its customer base covers individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, and large corporations through physical branches and digital services.
