Bitcoin takes its place in the Swiss banking sector or traditional banks are already competing with virtual currency operators? It depends on the point of view, but one of the private banks in the country now offers its customers management and storage of bituminous assets.
Falcon Group announced that its new product will allow customers to buy and store Bitcoins through their classic bank accounts. The service is available through a partnership with Bitcoin Suisse AD - a Bitcoin broker established in 2013.
"We are proud to be the first in the Swiss private banking sphere to offer asset management to our clients. Falcon is convinced that the time is right for us to enter this nascent market and our company believes our new product will meet the future needs of our customers, "said Arthur Vayloian, Head of Products and Services at Falcon, in a statement quoted by CoinDesk.
Falcon has already installed a Bitcoin ATM in the lobby of its Zurich headquarters, with the ATM available to all citizens.
Falcon's move has made it clear that it is not in the best right for banks to become a real competitor to Bitcoin brokers and companies operating online crypto storage portfolios. From another point of view, the two industries would rather exist in symbiosis, but in the end almost always the "big ones" swallow up the "little ones".
The integration of the new product of the bank comes amid discussions with the local financial regulator. Although banks often avoid the theme of virtual currencies, the situation in Switzerland is quite different. The country supports block technology and its deployment both in the public and private sectors.
For example, the Swiss Federal Council has revealed that the local financial regulator is moving swiftly towards creating a legal definition of virtual currencies.