TBW - Sopra Steria launches crypto offering for European banks
It's an announcement that speaks volumes about the transformation underway in traditional finance. Sopra Steria, a European heavyweight in digital services, is launching Sopra Crypto Solutions, a white-label offering tailored for banks that want to get - seriously - into crypto-assets.
The timing is no coincidence. As the European MiCA regulation comes into force, banks no longer really have any excuse for staying away from the subject. And the pressure is mounting: customers, especially younger ones, expect crypto products to be as simple as those offered by fintechs.
With this solution, Sopra Steria aims to enable them to move fast, without sacrificing compliance or security. The platform relies on three partners already well established in the ecosystem: Fireblocks (asset security), Chainalysis (compliance) and Wyden (order execution). The aim: to offer a technology brick that is ready to plug into existing banking systems, mostly via API.
"Banks finally have regulatory visibility. Our offering meets a dual requirement: to secure flows while providing maximum value to the end customer," sums up Grégory Wintrebert, Director of Financial Services at Sopra Steria. "Now unavoidable, the adoption of cryptos is a strategic lever for attracting younger generations and maintaining competitiveness in tomorrow's financial ecosystem."
Concretely, Sopra Crypto Solutions makes it possible to offer the purchase, sale and custody of cryptos via a customisable platform. KYC/AML tools are integrated, as are functions for automatically freezing accounts in the event of suspicious activity. And when it comes to the interface, banks have a choice: build their own or use the one offered by Sopra Steria, designed for novices. A roll-out in less than 6 months has been suggested.
The French company will have its work cut out for it, as it will have to contend with several incumbent players offering white-label crypto services.
The first of these is Bitpanda Technology Solutions, the subsidiary of European specialist Bitpanda, which provides crypto services for several neo-banks such as Lydia Solutions and N26. But the cake is getting bigger every month: BoursoBank recently announced the arrival of Bitcoin ETFs on its platform, and the BPCE group will be launching a crypto offering in 2025.
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