French multinational bank BNP Paribas has broadened its investment range by introducing new crypto-linked instruments, granting retail clients access to Bitcoin and Ether price movements. The bank’s set of six products—structured as exchange-traded notes (ETNs)—are designed to trade on regulated market infrastructure, providing an alternative for investors seeking regulated exposure to leading cryptocurrencies.
New ETN offerings accessible to individual investors
Starting Monday, these instruments tied to Bitcoin and Ether prices became available to standard securities accounts. BNP Paribas’ new offerings cater not only to individual investors, but also to entrepreneurs, private banking clients, and users of the bank’s digital platform, Hello bank! This move marks a significant step in expanding market access to crypto-linked financial instruments within traditional banking channels.
Established in 1848, BNP Paribas is one of Europe’s largest banking groups, serving clients across investment banking, asset management, and retail banking. In recent years, the institution has stepped up its work in digital assets and blockchain-based financial solutions.
The ETN structure allows investors to track the price movements of crypto assets without the need to purchase them directly. While investors do not hold the physical underlying assets, ETNs carry the credit risk of the issuing bank. Despite this, they are recognized for effectively mirroring the performance of the market, offering a streamlined alternative for crypto exposure.
Looking ahead, BNP Paribas indicated that these products may also become available to its asset management clients outside of France. Such an expansion would signal growing adoption of crypto-based financial products across Europe, potentially reaching a broader investor base.
Ongoing blockchain and tokenization initiatives
BNP Paribas’ introduction of crypto-linked ETNs is part of a larger strategic focus on digital assets. In 2024, the bank played a pivotal role in the issuance and sale of Slovenia’s first digital government bond, helping pioneer blockchain-based sovereign bonds within the European Union’s financial landscape.
The institution also joined the Canton Foundation alongside HSBC last year—a governance body for the Canton Network, which is developing blockchain infrastructure tailored to financial institutions. This network focuses on the tokenization of real-world assets and applications for institutional finance.
Further underlining its digital asset ambitions, BNP Paribas participated alongside major financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Citadel in a funding round for Digital Asset—a prominent technology provider involved in developing the Canton infrastructure. Through these collaborations, the bank is investing in future-ready systems for financial markets.
Additionally, BNP Paribas recently launched a tokenized share class for a money market fund on the Ethereum blockchain. This development marks a shift from previous experiments using private blockchain infrastructure in Luxembourg to leveraging public blockchain networks, reflecting confidence in open, accessible platforms for financial innovation.
