Swiss banking giant UBS, with assets under management (AuM) of up to $7 trillion, is set to launch Bitcoin trading for some of its clients. This comes amid predictions that regulatory clarity and broader adoption could send the BTC price to as high as $200,000. 

UBS To Offer Bitcoin Trading To Some Wealth Clients

Bloomberg reported that UBS is planning to launch crypto trading for some of its wealth clients, starting with its private bank clients in Switzerland. The bank will reportedly begin by offering these clients the opportunity to invest in Bitcoin and Ethereum. At the same time, the crypto offering could further expand to clients in the Pacific-Asia region and the U.S.

The banking giant is currently in discussions with potential partners, and there is no clear timeline for when it could launch Bitcoin and Ethereum trading for clients. This move is said to be partly due to increased demand from wealth clients for crypto exposure. UBS also faces increased competition as other Wall Street giants are working to offer crypto trading. 

Morgan Stanley, in partnership with Zerohash, announced plans to launch crypto trading in the first half of this year, starting with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The banking giant may soon also be able to offer its crypto products, as it has filed with the SEC to launch spot BTC, ETH, and SOL ETFs. 

Furthermore, JPMorgan, another of UBS’ competitors, is considering offering crypto trading to institutional clients, although this plan is still in the early stages. The bank already accepts Bitcoin and Ethereum as collateral from its clients. Last year, it also filed to offer BTC structured notes that will track the performance of the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF.

Can Bank’s Entry Trigger A BTC Rally To $200,000  

Kevin O’Leary predicted that Bitcoin could rally to between $150,000 and $200,000 this year, driven by the passage of the CLARITY Act. His prediction came just as White House Crypto Czar David Sacks said banks would fully enter crypto once the bill passes. As such, there is a possibility that BTC could reach this $200,000 psychological level in anticipation of the amount of new capital that could flow into BTC from these banks once the bill passes. 

BitMine’s Chairman, Tom Lee, also predicted during a CNBC interview that Bitcoin could reach between $200,000 and $250,000 this year, partly due to growing institutional adoption by Wall Street giants. Meanwhile, Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao said that a BTC rally to $200,000 is the “most obvious thing in the world” to him.

At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $89,600, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

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Reports say Swiss banking giant UBS is planning to let a small group of its private bank clients buy and sell major cryptocurrencies. The step would open access to Bitcoin and Ethereum for people who have worked with the bank for years, not for every customer.

Private Clients First

According to a Bloomberg report, the service would start in Switzerland and be offered only to select private banking clients, with any wider rollout dependent on rules and demand. The move is careful and measured. It is being tested with a narrow set of clients before any wider push is considered.

How It Would Work

Reports note that UBS has been talking with outside firms about providing the trading, custody and compliance pieces needed to make crypto trading run smoothly.

Partners would likely handle technical tasks while UBS keeps the client relationship front and center. Those talks have been going on for months, and no final deals are said to be done yet.

Why Now

Wealthy clients have been asking for ways to own digital assets safely. UBS has run pilots on tokenized funds and has worked on blockchain payments before.

The bank’s size and reputation mean it can offer a more cautious path into crypto than many smaller players. At the same time, changes in regulation and the broader market have made the plan more realistic than it might have seemed a few years ago.

Based on reports, the initial offering would focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum. More coins could be added later, but that would depend on which assets meet the bank’s risk and compliance checks.

UBS will reportedly decide what custody model to use and whether it needs third parties for trade execution. No launch date has been set.

A Broader Trend

Banks from different countries are slowly giving rich clients more ways to touch crypto, but each does it in its own style. Some offer ETFs and funds. Some go further and let clients trade coins directly.

UBS’s cautious design fits a pattern where big banks move slowly, testing the systems before widening access. A handful of recent moves by other institutions show the same pattern.

What Comes Next

Reports note that regulators and client interest will help decide how fast this goes. If rules in the US and other places stay friendly and clients respond, the offering could broaden beyond Switzerland.

If not, the bank could keep the plan tightly limited. For now, the idea remains a plan under discussion rather than a product on the market.

UBS’s steps reflect growing demand from wealthy investors for safer ways to hold crypto through trusted firms. The bank’s careful progress shows how traditional finance is testing the waters without rushing in.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin Magazine

UBS Plans Bitcoin Trading for Select Wealth Clients

UBS Group AG is preparing to offer bitcoin trading to a select group of private banking clients in Switzerland.

According to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter, the Swiss banking giant has been in discussions for several months about launching a cryptocurrency trading offering and is currently in the process of selecting external partners. 

The service would initially be limited to a small subset of Swiss private banking clients, with a broader rollout possible at a later stage.

UBS has not made a final decision on implementation, the people said, and the plans remain subject to regulatory, operational, and risk considerations.

Rather than building a full digital asset stack in-house, the banks is reportedly evaluating partnerships with third-party providers that could handle trading execution, custody, and compliance. 

A partner-led model would allow the bank to offer crypto exposure while limiting balance sheet risk and operational complexity.

Such an approach mirrors strategies adopted by other major financial institutions entering the digital asset space, particularly those seeking to comply with stringent capital requirements under the Basel III framework.

Under the proposed structure, the company would initially allow eligible clients to buy and sell bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH), the two largest digital assets by market capitalization. 

Additional assets have not been discussed.

Possible UBS expansion beyond Switzerland

While the initial rollout would focus on Switzerland, Bloomberg reported that UBS is considering expanding the service to other regions, including Asia-Pacific and the United States, depending on regulatory clarity and client demand.

UBS currently manages approximately $4.7 trillion in wealth assets as of September 30, making it the largest wealth manager globally, according to Bloomberg. Even a limited crypto offering could represent a meaningful step toward broader institutional adoption of bitcoin within traditional private banking.

The bank has historically maintained a cautious stance on cryptocurrencies. 

In November 2023, UBS allowed wealthy clients in Hong Kong to trade cryptocurrency-linked exchange-traded funds, joining competitors such as HSBC, but stopped short of offering direct spot crypto trading.

A UBS spokesperson declined to comment on the specifics of the Bloomberg report but confirmed that the bank continues to explore digital asset initiatives.

“As part of UBS’s digital asset strategy, we actively monitor developments and explore initiatives that reflect client needs, regulatory developments, market trends and robust risk controls,” the spokesperson said. “We recognize the importance of distributed ledger technology like blockchain, which underpins digital assets.”

This post UBS Plans Bitcoin Trading for Select Wealth Clients first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

UBS Group AG, the world’s second-largest wealth manager with over $7 trillion in invested assets, is preparing to offer crypto investments to select wealthy clients, starting with Bitcoin and Ethereum.

According to a January 23 Bloomberg report, UBS is expected to begin offering crypto services in Switzerland, with potential expansion to the Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. The Swiss banking powerhouse is still selecting partners and hasn’t finalized plans.

The initiative reflects growing demand for digital assets among high-net-worth individuals and positions UBS alongside Wall Street competitors who have already entered the crypto wealth management space.

UBS plans to make cryptocurrency investing available for some private banking clients in what could become a significant move into digital assets for the wealth manager https://t.co/pWi6Inm9AP

— Bloomberg (@business) January 23, 2026

Wall Street’s Crypto Wealth Management Rush

UBS’s planned offering follows a wave of similar initiatives from major banking competitors throughout 2024 and 2025.

Last October, Morgan Stanley opened the door for all its wealth management clients to invest in crypto.

According to CNBC, the bank informed its financial advisers that starting October 15, crypto investments became available to all clients, regardless of risk profile or account type, including retirement accounts.

@MorganStanley has prepared to unlock $1.3T in crypto trading via E-Trade in 2026, starting with Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana.#Bitcoin #Crypto #MorganStanleyhttps://t.co/MvIWz1XTBe

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) September 23, 2025

Previously, access to crypto funds at Morgan Stanley was limited to clients with aggressive risk tolerance and at least $1.5 million in investable assets who wanted exposure through taxable brokerage accounts.

The new policy removes those barriers, allowing any client to add crypto funds to their portfolio under adviser supervision.

Morgan Stanley is also preparing to bring cryptocurrency trading for E-Trade clients in the first half of 2026, a move that could unlock access to as much as $1.3 trillion in trading volume.

According to Bloomberg, the offering will begin with Bitcoin, Ether, and Solana, with plans to expand to broader services.

Morgan Stanley recently took another step into the U.S. crypto market after filing a Form S-1 registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust, adding to growing expectations that large Wall Street firms are positioning for broader spot crypto products beyond Bitcoin.

The Morgan Stanley Global Investment Committee (GIC) is now advising clients to allocate a small portfolio portion to cryptocurrency, recommending between 2% and 4% depending on risk appetite.

JPMorgan, BofA, Wells Fargo Join Crypto Push

Similarly, JPMorgan Chase & Co. allows select trading and wealth clients to use cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as collateral for loans, according to Bloomberg, published on June 4.

The bank began with BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and plans to expand access to other funds after rollout.

Traditional banking giants Bank of America and Wells Fargo are also offering eligible wealth management clients access to spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The ETFs have been available to clients for several weeks, a source familiar with Bank of America’s plans told Reuters.

The move follows the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approval of these investment vehicles in January 2024, marking a major milestone in cryptocurrency acceptance within traditional financial systems.

UBS already active in Hong Kong and Blockchain Integration

Currently, UBS Group AG and rivals such as HSBC Holdings Plc offer select clients in Hong Kong the ability to trade specific crypto-linked exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Affluent clients have been granted access to the Samsung Bitcoin Futures Active, CSOP Bitcoin Futures, and CSOP Ether Futures ETFs since the initiative went live in 2023.

UBS is also taking a major step in integrating blockchain technology into traditional finance by experimenting with digital gold investments for retail investors.

Last February, UBS completed a proof-of-concept for its fractional gold investment product, UBS Key4 Gold, on the Ethereum layer-2 network ZKsync Validium.

Swiss banking giant @UBS has successfully tested its new blockchain-based payment system, UBS Digital Cash.#Blockchain #Payments https://t.co/yuiiHesUBw

— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) November 8, 2024

In November 2024, the bank launched UBS Digital Cash, a private blockchain pilot for multi-currency cross-border payments.

UBS Tokenize, another initiative, enables on-chain issuance of tokenized financial products, including the first tokenized money market fund on Ethereum.

The post World’s Second-Largest Wealth Manager UBS to Offer Crypto Investing to Wealth Clients appeared first on Cryptonews.

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