CitiBank to Launch BTC Services in 2026

In the latest Bitcoin news, $2.5 trillion Citibank shared that it would be integrating BTC services this year. This comes amid the broader adoption of the coin for payment services.

CitiBank Expands Into Crypto With Bitcoin Offering

The banking giant is reportedly planning to launch an infrastructure that will enable the integration of Bitcoin with the traditional financial system. This is important for the reporting, compliance, and processing of taxes.

CitiBank will provide key management services on Bitcoin, as well as institutional custody services, to its customers. This is significant because BTC is now an asset that operates 24/7, thus the need for digital currency support.

The bank had announced towards the end of 2025 that it was lining up the launch of its services in crypto custody in 2026. The recent announcements show that the process is now in the execution phase. It seems that the bank is reacting to institutional demand, which has been growing over time.

For example, towards the end of last year, the biggest U.S. bank, with about $4 trillion in AuM, JPMorgan filed for the issuance of structured notes linked to the performance of BlackRock’s IBIT. This will allow investors to gain a maximum of 16% returns.

On the other hand, Citi has always been bullish on cryptocurrency. Last year, Citibank forecasted that the price of Bitcoin could reach as high as $199,000, but this did not happen, especially given the recent crypto market crash.

Why Are Institutions Adopting BTC Despite Dip?

Financial services firm River stated that the adoption of the virtual currency by institutions, banks, merchants, publicly traded companies, and even nation-states has accelerated despite the recent decline of the price of the cryptocurrency.

60% of the best US banks are developing BTC products. They stated that with the positive regulatory environment, like the CLARITY Act, banks like Citibank are now able to hold and offer Bitcoin to their customers.

Businesses were the largest buyers of the virtual currency BTC in 2025. Most of the purchases came from crypto treasury companies, which saw a 2.5 times increase in adoption last year.

In 2025, institutions have accumulated 829,000 BTC through purchases by businesses, governments, funds, and exchange-traded funds.

Registered investment advisors have been net buyers of BTC for eight consecutive quarters and invested $1.5 billion each quarter for the past two years in Bitcoin ETFs.