Israel's Largest Bank Taps Galaxy to Offer Crypto Trading

Bank Leumi partners with Galaxy for crypto trading

Bank Leumi, Israel's largest bank, has agreed a partnership with Galaxy Digital to offer cryptocurrency trading to its customers. The bank announced the deal on 14 August 2026. Customers of Leumi and PEPPER, its mobile digital banking arm, will be able to buy, hold and sell selected digital assets within the Leumi Trade capital markets application. The agreement marks Galaxy Digital's entry into the Israeli retail banking market. The move brings crypto trading into a mainstream Israeli bank for the first time.

Customers will trade Bitcoin, Ether and Solana

The service will cover Bitcoin, Ether and Solana at launch. Bank Leumi plans to open trading in early 2027. The bank confirmed the launch still depends on regulatory approval, so the date remains a target rather than a firm commitment. Trading will sit inside a dedicated section of the existing Leumi Trade app, rather than a separate product.

Leumi becomes first Israeli bank to offer crypto trading

Bank Leumi said the move would make it the first bank in Israel to offer digital asset trading to customers. Rule changes at the Bank of Israel over the past year made the plan possible. The bank presented the step as part of its broader financial strategy, and framed it as a way to give customers regulated access to crypto markets.

"This initiative represents a significant pillar of the bank's innovation strategy and enables us to provide customers with simple, secure, and regulated access to trading digital assets through one of the world's leading technological infrastructures.", 14 August 2026. — Maya Ravia, Head of Strategy, Bank Leumi

Galaxy supplies trading and custody infrastructure

Bank Leumi will use GalaxyOne Institutional, Galaxy's platform for banks, asset managers and other institutions, for trading and related services. The bank also signed an agreement with Galaxy's custody infrastructure platform, formerly known as GK8, to secure its digital asset systems. Under the deal, Galaxy's custody platform will hold the tokens on the bank's behalf, while GalaxyOne handles trade execution. Galaxy Digital, which trades under the ticker GLXY, is led by Mike Novogratz. Lior Lamesh, chief executive of Galaxy Israel, said the partnership reflects rising bank interest in digital assets.

"The future of finance will run on open, programmable rails, and we believe the banks that move first will define the era that follows.", 14 August 2026. — Lior Lamesh, CEO, Galaxy Israel

Bitcoin slipped while Israel's crypto activity keeps growing

Bitcoin traded at $62,973 at the time of publication, down 3.3% over the past seven days (CoinPaprika, 15 August 2026). Ether traded at $1,881 and Solana at $75.43 on the same day (CoinPaprika, 15 August 2026). The three tokens rank among the largest cryptocurrencies by market value. According to Chainalysis, Israel received about $22 billion in onchain cryptocurrency value in the 12 months to June 2025. The wider Middle East and North Africa region saw roughly $500 billion in onchain activity, up 33% year on year.

A 2022 Paxos attempt did not reach launch

Bank Leumi previously tried to enter crypto trading in 2022 through a partnership with Paxos. According to The Block, that effort did not advance to launch, held back by regulatory constraints. The Galaxy plan arrives after the Bank of Israel eased its rules, though it still depends on final approval before customers can trade.

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