Bison Bank absorbs digital arm to become Portugal's first licensed crypto bank
What's the deal? Bison BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has merged its Bison Digital AssetsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → unit into the parent bank, a move announced in June that makes it the first bank in Portugal to operate directly as a crypto-asset service provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Who's involved? Bison Bank is a Lisbon-based lender offering private banking, custody, corporate advisory, and digital-asset services. PwC PortugalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → advised on the merger through its Risk & Regulation, IFRS, and Tax teams.
What's the endgame? Alongside the merger, the bank issued Portugal's first stablecoin, the Bison Bank Electronic Money Token, in euro-pegged (EUB) and dollar-pegged (USB) versions. A stablecoin is a digital asset designed to hold a steady value by tracking a legal currency such as the euro or dollar.
Why now? The move runs under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which classifies such tokens as Electronic Money Tokens and sets strict rules to protect users and build trust in the digital ecosystem. Bison Bank called the step "a strategic move that consolidates its position at the forefront of financial innovation" (translated from Portuguese).
The signal: MiCA is pushing crypto activity toward regulated banks, and Bison Bank is among the first to fold a digital-asset business into a licensed institution. "PwCDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → reinforces its commitment to supporting the institutions leading the digital transformation of the financial sector," said Rodrigo Domingues, a partner at PwC (translated from Portuguese).
Read more: eco.sapo.pt
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
