How to Buy Crypto with BBVA
- BBVA launched in-app Bitcoin and Ether trading and custody for all Spanish retail customers in October 2025.
- The service charges 1.49 percent per trade and does not allow withdrawals to an external wallet.
- Buyers wanting other coins or self-custody still need a separate exchange like eToro.
BBVA customers no longer need a third-party exchange just to buy Bitcoin or Ether. The bank received CNMV approval in March 2025 and completed its retail rollout that October, which saw it becoming the first major Spanish lender to build crypto trading and custody directly into its own mobile app.
BBVA Offers In-App Bitcoin and Ether Trading to Spanish Customers
The service covers two assets, Bitcoin and Ether, and nothing else. Customers open the Cryptoassets section of the app, complete a MiCA suitability check, and place trades starting from €10, up to daily and monthly limits of €30,000 and €100,000.
BBVA holds the private keys itself instead of outsourcing custody to a third party, and there’s no ongoing storage fee. The catch is that coins can’t be withdrawn to an external wallet. Whatever gets bought stays inside BBVA’s app until it’s sold back to euros.
How to Buy Crypto with BBVA Step by Step
Open the Cryptoassets section.
It sits alongside your regular accounts and investments in the BBVA app.
Complete the MiCA suitability check.
This is a short questionnaire required before trading, separate from standard account verification.
Choose the crypto asset and enter an amount.
The minimum order is €10. The quoted price already includes BBVA’s 1.49 percent fee.
Confirm with biometrics.
Face ID, fingerprint, or your usual PIN completes the trade, and the balance updates immediately.
About BBVA
BBVA (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria) is a multinational financial services company founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain, with operations across more than 25 countries. BBVA offers retail banking, corporate and investment banking, insurance, and asset management. The multinational has spent recent years positioning itself as one of the more digitally forward banks in Europe.
Key Metrics As of 2026
BBVA posted record Q2 2026 results, with net attributable profit up 11.4 percent year over year to €3.062 billion and first half profit topping €6 billion, up 11 percent. Beyond the earnings, here’s where the bank stands:
- Total Assets: over $900 billion, with close to 70 million customers worldwide
- Q2 2026 Performance: record quarterly profit, management raised full year ROTE guidance to around 21 percent and announced a new €2 billion share buyback
- Regulatory Status: CNMV approved under MiCA, supervised by the ECB and Banco de España
- Crypto Rollout: first major Spanish bank offering direct retail Bitcoin and Ether trading, confirmed available to all retail customers since November 2025
- Prior Crypto Experience: private banking crypto custody in Switzerland since 2021 and via Garanti BBVA in Turkey since 2019
Digital Asset Investing Fees
BBVA charges 1.49 percent per trade, with the first purchase free of commission and no ongoing custody fee after that. Moving funds out through the bank’s own transfer options carries a separate 4 percent fee, which is steep compared to a standard SEPA transfer. An external exchange like eToro typically charges around 1 percent per trade with no equivalent penalty for moving funds, and SEPA transfers in either direction are usually free on both platforms.
BBVA’s Stance on Cryptocurrency
BBVA tested the water first with a Bitcoin ETN and a private banking crypto desk, then skipped the slow rollout most banks favor and went straight to full retail trading and custody. The bank has kept building since. It took on a custody role for Binance’s institutional clients in 2025, and its wealth management desk now recommends a 3 to 7 percent crypto allocation to high net worth clients. Plenty of large banks still limit crypto to institutional clients or bare transfer approvals. BBVA didn’t.
Working With an External Exchange
BBVA’s app stops at two assets and offers no path to self-custody. Anyone wanting altcoins, lower fees, or the ability to move coins to a personal wallet still needs an outside exchange. eToro remains a solid option, registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider with the Bank of Spain and holding full MiCA authorization. Comparing current sign-up offers is a good idea before committing to a platform, since terms shift often.
To use this route, register an account, verify identity, link a BBVA account under bank transfer, and deposit euros via SEPA. Funds typically clear within a day, after which any supported coin can be purchased and, unlike BBVA’s own service, withdrawn to a wallet outside the exchange.
Conclusion
Buying crypto with BBVA used to mean sending money elsewhere by default. Now the app itself covers a straightforward Bitcoin or Ether purchase, no separate exchange account required. Anything beyond those two coins, or a need to actually hold the private keys, still means routing funds to a platform like eToro.
FAQs
Can I buy Bitcoin directly through the BBVA app?
Yes. It’s built into the Cryptoassets section alongside your regular accounts, no separate exchange sign-up needed for a straightforward Bitcoin or Ether purchase.
Can I withdraw crypto from BBVA to my own wallet?
No. BBVA’s service only supports custody within the app. Moving crypto to an external wallet requires buying through a separate exchange instead.
What does BBVA charge to buy Bitcoin or Ether?
A flat 1.49 percent trading fee, with the first purchase free. Just watch the withdrawal side, cashing out through BBVA’s own transfer options costs a separate 4 percent, well above what a standard bank transfer runs.
Do I still need eToro if I bank with BBVA?
Only for coins beyond Bitcoin and Ether, lower trading fees, or the ability to withdraw to a personal wallet. A simple BTC or ETH purchase is now covered inside BBVA’s own app.
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