Exploring crypto-friendly banks in the SEPA and UK regions

In the ever-evolving ecosystem of cryptocurrencies, securing dependable banking services is paramount for businesses operating within the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and the United Kingdom (UK).

However, working with traditional banks often presents challenges for crypto-related enterprises, including banks’ crypto policy uncertainties, perceived risks, and limited access to essential financial services.

This overview aims to help you navigate these challenges by spotlighting some crypto-friendly banks in both regions and explaining how Numeral can help you integrate with these banks to build a resilient payment infrastructure.

The challenges of finding crypto-friendly banks

When it comes to navigating the bank landscape, there are three main challenges that crypto-related businesses need to bear in mind.

Banks’ risk policy challenges

Traditional banks in the SEPA and UK regions operate under varying risk policies, each with its onboarding processes and acceptance criteria.

This diversity creates significant hurdles for companies seeking to establish banking relationships as they navigate the intricate requirements of each institution.

The perceived risks associated with cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering, fraud, and market volatility, often lead traditional banks to adopt a cautious approach, making it challenging for crypto businesses to access essential banking services.

Counterparty resiliency

Once onboarded, crypto actors' operations continuity can be challenged by their banking partners, as these can default altogether or adjust their risk appetite, leading to companies being off-boarded without much notice. Crypto actors need several banking partners to build the redundancy required to ensure operation continuity.

Processing capacity

Crypto businesses can process up to millions of transactions monthly. Resiliency issues caused by payment partners can be a real operational threat. They need to build on top of a robust payment infrastructure that ensures sustained processing capacity.

Exploring crypto-friendly banks in the SEPA and UK regions

Let's delve into some of the crypto-friendly banks operating within the SEPA and UK regions.

CENTROLink (Lithuania) – SEPA

CENTROlink is the payment system operated by the Bank of Lithuania that provides technical access to SEPA for all types of regulated payment service providers: banks, specialized banks, credit unions, electronic money or payment institutions. Lithuania ranks second in the European Union (after Poland) in terms of the number of registered crypto-asset companies (540 at the end of 2023).

Bank Frick (Liechtenstein) – SEPA (Euro, Swiss Franc)

Bank Frick, based in Liechtenstein, provides banking services within the SEPA region. Bank Frick supports businesses seeking to integrate crypto into their operations via a range of services, including custody solutions and fiat-crypto exchange services.

BCB Group (UK, France) – SEPA, UK

BCB Group provides banking services, including payments, to the crypto industry in the UK, where the group is headquartered, and in the SEPA region, with the recent opening of a branch in France.

Delubac (France) – SEPA

Delubac is a pioneer in its progressive approach to banking, with innovations such as the early adoption of SEPA Instant payments, and its support for crypto-related businesses.

Sygnum Bank (Switzerland) – SEPA (Euro, Swiss Franc)

Sygnum Bank is a digital asset bank that offers services tailored to the needs of blockchain-based businesses and investors. They have a strong expertise on regulatory compliance, digital assets banking (secure custody, trading, staking and lending solutions) and tokenisation features.

InCore (Switzerland) – SEPA, Swiss Franc

InCore provides banking services (payments, account management and transaction processing) to traditional financial institutions and fintech companies, including crypto companies.

How Numeral can help build a strong and resilient crypto-business

Numeral offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to support businesses in building resilience and efficiency throughout their growth across both the SEPA and UK regions.

Operational efficiency and scalability

Numeral is purpose-built for straight-through processing of high payment volumes, from its underlying infrastructure to its user interface.

This approach enables businesses to achieve operational efficiency and scalability across Europe.

Multi-banking

Numeral’s payment infrastructure abstracts the complexity of building and maintaining the technical integration to a fintech’s banking partners. With Numeral, fintechs can connect seamlessly to multiple banks to build redundancy and support geographic expansion across Europe.

This ensures continuity of operations and mitigates the risk of disruptions in case of bank failure or regulatory changes.

Real-time tracking and automated reconciliation

Numeral provides real-time tracking of payment throughout their entire lifecycle, as well as automated reconciliation, offering businesses real-time visibility and control over their payments. This enables proactive decision-making and streamlines financial operations, saving valuable time and resources.

Fraud prevention and compliance

Numeral integrates with state-of-the-art AML/fraud solutions, such as ComplyAdvantage and Unit21, to proactively block fraudulent operations.

By leveraging these solutions into our platform, we help businesses mitigate risks, maintain regulatory compliance, and safeguard their financial assets and reputation.

Working with Numeral

Whether you're a fintech startup or an established bank willing to create a crypto offer, we would be happy to discuss your banking needs and how Numeral could help you build the best infrastructure for your use case.