PNC Bank becomes the first major US banking institution to offer direct Bitcoin trading to qualified clients through a Coinbase partnership, eliminating the need for separate exchange accounts.
US banking giant PNC Bank has launched direct Bitcoin BTC $69 136 24h volatility: 4.4% Market cap: $1.38 T Vol. 24h: $52.22 B trading for qualified institutional clients, making it the first major US-based banking firm to do so.
PNC Bank is the ninth-largest US bank by assets as of Q3, 2025. The firm has partnered with Coinbase, the second largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, to launch its direct trading services.
According to a Nov. 9 press release, approved PNC Private Bank clients can now buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin directly through their accounts on PNC’s digital banking platform via Coinbase’s Crypto-as-a-Service (CaaS) function. This eliminates the need for qualified PNC customers to create and operate a separate exchange account to facilitate bridged cryptocurrency trading.
Today marks a major milestone for institutional crypto adoption.@Coinbase’s Crypto-as-a-Service platform is now powering @PNCBank’s launch of direct bitcoin trading for PNC Private Bank clients – the first to market with such an offering among the major U.S. banks. pic.twitter.com/wwuOIRuBfK
— Coinbase Institutional 🛡️ (@CoinbaseInsto) December 9, 2025
Expanding Fiat-to-Crypto Bridges
PNC Bank announced its intent to begin direct crypto trading back in July during a noteworthy third quarter for the company. According to data from S&P Global, the bank’s parent company, PNC Financial Services Group Inc., recorded the third-highest sequential increase in total assets among US banks for the quarter, with 6.5% growth.
Much of this growth can be attributed to PNC’s acquisition of FirstBank Holding Co. for $4.04 billion which stood as one the largest bank deals announced in 2025.
According to the aforementioned press release, PNC bank clients accessing the platform’s crypto trading services can buy, sell, and hold Bitcoin directly through their accounts. It’s unclear at this time if and when other cryptocurrencies will be added for trading on the service.
PNC’s further expansion into Bitcoin trading comes as traditional finance institutions across the banking industry clamor to integrate digital assets such as cryptocurrency and stablecoins into their platform.
Bank of America, for example, recently advised its clients to allocate up to 4% of their portfolios in cryptocurrency despite recent turbulence in the cryptocurrency market.
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