Lisbon, June 22, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's Bison Bank has become the first crypto-asset service provider (CASP) in the country, following the merger by absorption of its subsidiary, Bison Digital Assets.

“Bison Bank has become the first bank in Portugal to operate directly as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under the new European MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulation, a strategic step that consolidates its position at the forefront of financial innovation,” it announced on Monday in a statement.

This activity will be carried out through the merger by absorption of its subsidiary Bison Digital Assets (BDA), approved by the Bank of Portugal.

With this new structure, the bank’s institutional clients can access custody, trading and advisory services relating to crypto-assets.

“The CASP licence and the merger represent the realisation of our vision to build the bank of the future: a single regulated entity, with the robustness of a bank, but with the agility and innovation of the crypto world,” said the financial institution’s chief executive, António Henriques, as quoted in the same statement.

Bison Bank is headquartered in Lisbon and provides private banking, custodian banking, corporate advisory and digital asset advisory services.

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