More than half of the largest banks in the United States have launched or announced services related to the first cryptocurrency, according to financial firm River.
60% of the top US banks are into bitcoin. pic.twitter.com/AqceDDfjDP
— River (@River) January 26, 2026
Analysts examined the top 25 financial institutions in the country and found that 60% of them offer trading or custody services for digital assets.
Interest in the industry has been shown by three representatives from the "big four" US banks, which together hold assets of over $7.3 trillion:
- JPMorgan Chase is considering adding crypto trading;
- Wells Fargo is offering loans backed by bitcoin to institutional clients;
- Citigroup is exploring the launch of custodial services.
Swiss giant UBS, which operates in the US market, also plans to offer trading in bitcoin and Ethereum for wealthy clients.
Bank of America, the second-largest bank in the US with assets of $2.67 trillion, has not yet announced any plans regarding cryptocurrency. Capital One and Truist Bank have also remained silent on the matter.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong confirmed a shift in attitudes within the traditional sector.
Just wrapped up our week in Davos. I don't love wearing a suit every day, but sometimes it has to be done!
— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) January 24, 2026
Davos is a unique place — world leaders and CEOs (and lots of crypto companies!) all come together in a small mountain town in Switzerland for a few days. It’s a productive… pic.twitter.com/0lO5TqRhkL
Following the forum in Davos, he noted that bankers have become more welcoming towards the industry. One global CEO referred to cryptocurrencies as "priority number one," viewing them as a matter of business survival.
Despite the growing interest in bitcoin, banks maintain a tough stance on income-generating stablecoins, seeing them as a risk to system stability.
It is worth noting that Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire stated that interest payments on "stablecoins" do not threaten the banking system.