Bison Bank Is the First Portuguese Lender to Gain Local Crypto License
- It is going to launch crypto trading and custodian services.
- The central bank of Portugal has issued crypto licenses to only five companies.

The Portuguese central bank, the Banco de Portugal, granted a license to Bison Bank on Thursday that will allow the lender to operate as a virtual asset service provider (VASP).
The license will allow the bank to offer cryptocurrency trading services and act as a crypto custodian.
Bison has become the first bank in the country to receive this crypto license. Earlier, the central bank granted the license to an on-chain crypto payments
Payments
One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonly the basis of exchange involves fiat currency or legal tender, be it in the form of cash, credit or bank transfers, debit, or checks. While typically associated with cash transfers, payments can also be made in anything of perceived value, be it stock or bartering – though this is far more limited today than it has been in the past.The Largest Players in the Payments IndustryFor most individuals, the payments industry is dominated currently by card companies such as Visa or Mastercard, which facilitate the use of credit or debit expenditures. More recently, this industry has seen the rise of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments services, which have gained tremendous traction in Europe, the United States, and Asia, among other continents.One of the biggest parameters for payments is timing, which looms as a crucial element for execution. By this metric, consumer demand incentivizes technology that prioritizes the fastest payment execution.This can help explain the preference for debit and credit payments overtaking check or money orders, which in previous decades were much more commonly utilized. A multi-billion-dollar industry, the payments space has seen some of the most innovation and advances in recent years as companies look to push contactless technology with faster execution times.
One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonly the basis of exchange involves fiat currency or legal tender, be it in the form of cash, credit or bank transfers, debit, or checks. While typically associated with cash transfers, payments can also be made in anything of perceived value, be it stock or bartering – though this is far more limited today than it has been in the past.The Largest Players in the Payments IndustryFor most individuals, the payments industry is dominated currently by card companies such as Visa or Mastercard, which facilitate the use of credit or debit expenditures. More recently, this industry has seen the rise of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments services, which have gained tremendous traction in Europe, the United States, and Asia, among other continents.One of the biggest parameters for payments is timing, which looms as a crucial element for execution. By this metric, consumer demand incentivizes technology that prioritizes the fastest payment execution.This can help explain the preference for debit and credit payments overtaking check or money orders, which in previous decades were much more commonly utilized. A multi-billion-dollar industry, the payments space has seen some of the most innovation and advances in recent years as companies look to push contactless technology with faster execution times.
Read this Term firm, Utrust, and a few other cryptocurrency exchanges.
Bison Bank is owned by a Hong Kong-based Chinese private capital group. It offers wealth management, depositary and investment banking services to both individual and institutional clients.
The Portuguese local bank is now planning to create a separate division, Bison Digital Assets, and start operating as a virtual asset exchange. In addition, it will become the first local bank to offer crypto custody and trading services.
Similar to its regular banking offerings, it will position its virtual asset services to the high net worth customer segment. However, the bank is yet to provide details on its virtual asset services.
Crypto Regulations
When it comes to cryptocurrency regulations, Portugal has a much clearer framework compared to its other European peers.
But, the central bank has only licensed five local Portuguese entities, including Bison Bank, for offering crypto services to date. Moreover, Bison’s services will be confined only to Portugal.
Meanwhile, other cryptocurrency platforms operating within Europe and regulated under the pan-European Union regulator’s MiFID II framework can offer their services in Portugal.
The Portuguese central bank, the Banco de Portugal, granted a license to Bison Bank on Thursday that will allow the lender to operate as a virtual asset service provider (VASP).
The license will allow the bank to offer cryptocurrency trading services and act as a crypto custodian.
Bison has become the first bank in the country to receive this crypto license. Earlier, the central bank granted the license to an on-chain crypto payments
Payments
One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonly the basis of exchange involves fiat currency or legal tender, be it in the form of cash, credit or bank transfers, debit, or checks. While typically associated with cash transfers, payments can also be made in anything of perceived value, be it stock or bartering – though this is far more limited today than it has been in the past.The Largest Players in the Payments IndustryFor most individuals, the payments industry is dominated currently by card companies such as Visa or Mastercard, which facilitate the use of credit or debit expenditures. More recently, this industry has seen the rise of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments services, which have gained tremendous traction in Europe, the United States, and Asia, among other continents.One of the biggest parameters for payments is timing, which looms as a crucial element for execution. By this metric, consumer demand incentivizes technology that prioritizes the fastest payment execution.This can help explain the preference for debit and credit payments overtaking check or money orders, which in previous decades were much more commonly utilized. A multi-billion-dollar industry, the payments space has seen some of the most innovation and advances in recent years as companies look to push contactless technology with faster execution times.
One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonly the basis of exchange involves fiat currency or legal tender, be it in the form of cash, credit or bank transfers, debit, or checks. While typically associated with cash transfers, payments can also be made in anything of perceived value, be it stock or bartering – though this is far more limited today than it has been in the past.The Largest Players in the Payments IndustryFor most individuals, the payments industry is dominated currently by card companies such as Visa or Mastercard, which facilitate the use of credit or debit expenditures. More recently, this industry has seen the rise of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments services, which have gained tremendous traction in Europe, the United States, and Asia, among other continents.One of the biggest parameters for payments is timing, which looms as a crucial element for execution. By this metric, consumer demand incentivizes technology that prioritizes the fastest payment execution.This can help explain the preference for debit and credit payments overtaking check or money orders, which in previous decades were much more commonly utilized. A multi-billion-dollar industry, the payments space has seen some of the most innovation and advances in recent years as companies look to push contactless technology with faster execution times.
Read this Term firm, Utrust, and a few other cryptocurrency exchanges.
Bison Bank is owned by a Hong Kong-based Chinese private capital group. It offers wealth management, depositary and investment banking services to both individual and institutional clients.
The Portuguese local bank is now planning to create a separate division, Bison Digital Assets, and start operating as a virtual asset exchange. In addition, it will become the first local bank to offer crypto custody and trading services.
Similar to its regular banking offerings, it will position its virtual asset services to the high net worth customer segment. However, the bank is yet to provide details on its virtual asset services.
Crypto Regulations
When it comes to cryptocurrency regulations, Portugal has a much clearer framework compared to its other European peers.
But, the central bank has only licensed five local Portuguese entities, including Bison Bank, for offering crypto services to date. Moreover, Bison’s services will be confined only to Portugal.
Meanwhile, other cryptocurrency platforms operating within Europe and regulated under the pan-European Union regulator’s MiFID II framework can offer their services in Portugal.