The banks that say yes

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The institutions below were, to my knowledge, open to digital-asset businesses or to private clients with digital-asset wealth on 30 June 2026. The list changes and must be checked before every engagement.

In Switzerland, Sygnum Bank and AMINA Bank are the specialist banks, offering accounts, custody, trading, staking and lending to companies, funds and private clients, with onboarding of several weeks and fees above those of the generalist banks.¹ Zuger Kantonalbank, Zürcher Kantonalbank and Luzerner Kantonalbank open accounts for companies in the sector, with Zürcher Kantonalbank also offering custody and trading of selected tokens.² Among the private banks, Maerki Baumann, Julius Baer, Vontobel and several Geneva houses accept private clients with crypto-derived wealth and offer custody through partners. Swissquote and PostFinance serve retail and small corporate clients. Bank Frick in Liechtenstein, a short drive from Zürich, has served the sector since 2018 and is used by many Swiss groups as a second bank.³

In Singapore, DBS is the local bank most open to the sector, with DBS Digital Exchange serving accredited and corporate clients and the commercial bank accepting licensed digital-asset businesses as account holders. OCBC and UOB accept licensed businesses on a case-by-case basis. Standard Chartered and, in a narrower segment, HSBC serve institutional clients in the sector through their Singapore branches. Standard Chartered's Zodia Custody provides institutional custody.⁴ The licensed payment institutions themselves (StraitsX for the Singapore dollar stablecoin XSGD, the exchanges' licensed arms) provide fiat on- and off-ramps for companies that cannot obtain a bank account directly, at a cost.

Notes

FINMA, media release of 26 August 2019 (licences for Sygnum Bank AG and SEBA Crypto AG, since renamed AMINA Bank AG). Part C, Chapter IV. ↩
Zürcher Kantonalbank, media release of 4 September 2024; Zuger Kantonalbank, account-opening practice for blockchain companies in the canton of Zug (public statements since 2018). Part C, Chapter III. ↩
Bank Frick & Co. AG, Liechtenstein, FMA-licensed bank offering blockchain banking since 2018; Part O, Chapter II, on Liechtenstein. ↩
DBS Bank, media releases on DBS Digital Exchange (2020 to 2024); Standard Chartered, media releases on Zodia Custody in Singapore (2023). Part I, Chapter IV. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of October 2026.

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Dr Alexander Ressos, TEP

Of Counsel, KGP Legal LLC

I am Of Counsel with KGP Legal LLC in Singapore, where I work with a global client base of successful entrepreneurs and their families, independent asset managers, commodity trading houses and other commercial clients. I am a German and Swiss attorney-at-law, also admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales and in Hong Kong. I divide my time between Zug in Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong. Since 2017 I have advised international clients on more than 700 crypto and digital asset projects. I also have extensive experience in cross-border litigation and arbitration in Singapore, Hong Kong and other markets in South-East Asia and Greater China.

I operate across the key financial centres in South-East Asia, the Middle East and Switzerland, with a particular focus on asset protection, international tax and estate planning, as well as trusts, company administration and other fiduciary services. My philosophy is to serve as a trusted advisor working closely with my clients and to help them achieve their commercial objectives.

All Singapore law advice is provided through KGP Legal LLC, an established and duly licensed firm of Singapore advocates and solicitors.

KGP Legal LLC is a medium-sized law firm in Singapore that is capable of providing the full range of legal services and corporate administration work. Please contact me directly at [email protected] if you need any further information.

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SingaporeIQ is edited by Dr Alexander Ressos, an international business lawyer with more than 15 years of local experience in Singapore as a permanent resident, a Singapore registered foreign lawyer and managing partner of a Singapore foreign law practice. In addition to significant experience in cross-border investments and transactions, UHNWI private client work and sanctions/export controls, Dr Ressos has extensive experience in cross-border business and in crypto and digital-asset projects in Singapore, drawn from more than 700 projects since 2017.

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