Italians want Bitcoin in banca

Milan, April 16, 2025 – The Clear Summit 2025 reached over 500 professionals from the world of finance, 200 of whom attended in person at the event organized by CheckSig. Interested in understanding how Bitcoin and crypto-assets are changing investment portfolios, they followed the speeches of industry and university leaders, regulators, politicians, and journalists. In particular, quantitative results were presented demonstrating the low correlation of Bitcoin with other asset classes and the demand from Italian investors to access crypto financial services offered by traditional banks and intermediaries.

Innovation in mature markets

The event started with the keynote speech by Federico Grom: the entrepreneur shared his successful experience in innovating the world of gelato, providing provocative insights for the finance sector.

Italians want Bitcoin in the bank

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The most significant news presented at the Clear Summit is the request from Italian investors for Bitcoin and crypto services offered by traditional operators. This is what emerges from the Crypto Banking Survey 2025, conducted on a representative sample of 1,000 Italians between the ages of 20 and 60, employed and banked. The research was illustrated by Michele Mandelli (managing partner CheckSig) and Alberto Grisoni (director of AziendaBanca):

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“24% of respondents have already invested in cryptocurrencies and an additional 29% intend to do so in the future. But the most relevant data is that 68% expect their bank to offer one or more services related to crypto, including dedicated accounts, buying/selling options, and qualified consultancy Those who invest in traditional financial instruments today or have significant assets now consider cryptocurrencies a true asset class”.

And issues a warning to the banking system: “one Italian out of two says they are willing to open an account with another bank to access crypto services”.

According to Mandelli, in fact, the change in financial habits is destined to accelerate.

Market Context

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The Clear Summit also offered an updated market analysis for the first quarter of 2025. Despite a 19% drop in the global cryptocurrency market capitalization, Bitcoin showed resilience, maintaining robust trading volumes and limiting losses, in a context made uncertain by geopolitical tensions, recession fears, and new global trade policies. Ferdinando Ametrano (scientific director of the Digital Gold Institute and CEO of CheckSig) presented the Institute’s quarterly report, highlighting that:

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“Contrary to what is often read, quantitative analysis confirms the low or negligible correlation of Bitcoin with traditional asset classes. For this reason, Bitcoin represents an extraordinary diversification opportunity for investment portfolios. Furthermore, Bitcoin continues to stand out for its solidity compared to the rest of the sector”.

Crypto and traditional finance

This increasingly mature and regulated scenario is also pushing the major players in European finance to move into the sector. BBVA and Deutsche Börse are already operational in crypto services, and Intesa Sanpaolo could soon follow. An evolution that is also confirmed in the panel with representatives of traditional finance such as Simone Calamai (Fundstore), Antonio Cesarano (Intermonte SIM), Luisa Graziani (Romed), and Giordano Martinelli (AcomeA SGR). All have recognized the strategic relevance of digital assets in portfolio construction and discussed the operational and regulatory challenges facing the sector. The shared message is clear: crypto is no longer a niche, but a reality with which traditional finance must contend, also with the support of supervisory authorities.

The Clear Summit provided room for a broad dialogue on the role of crypto-assets in the national system. The parliamentarians present – Giulio Centemero (Lega), Marcello Coppo (Fratelli d’Italia),

Gianmauro Dell’Olio (Movimento 5 Stelle) and Cristina Tajani (Partito Democratico) – discussed the opportunities related to digital innovation and the need for clear and non-discriminatory regulation, including from a fiscal perspective.

The topic of financial education was also particularly emphasized by Pasquale Munafò (Consob) and Emanuela Rinaldi (Università Bicocca), who highlighted the importance of building awareness paths for a correct and safe use of digital finance.

Looking to the future

The Clear Summit 2025 was the opportunity to take stock of the changes over the last 12 months in the interaction between the crypto world and traditional finance. What was anticipated in the 2024 edition in terms of Bitcoin price growth and the global adoption of the new asset class has indeed been confirmed by market dynamics and its regulation. The coming months will be the test of the openness of Italian and European financial operators. The appointment is for the Clear Summit 2026.

CheckSig: the Italian excellence in crypto-assets

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Founded in 2019 as a spin-off of the Digital Gold Institute, the main Italian think tank on Bitcoin, crypto-assets, and blockchain, CheckSig offers advanced solutions for private and institutional investors. Its mission is to make investment in crypto-assets simple and secure, providing services for buying and selling, custody, staking, tax compliance, training, and consulting. The platform also operates in B2B2C mode as a Crypto-as-a-Service infrastructure on clear.checksig.com. CheckSig is:

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• the first in the world to offer the public proof-of-reserves since 2020 and the only custodian to do so.
• the only Italian crypto reality with insurance coverage, provided by a leading European company with an AA rating from Standard & Poor’s.
• the only crypto company in Italy with SOC1/SOC2 Type II attestations, obtained by undergoing continuous audits (conducted by one of the Big Four) on the quality of system and organizational controls.
• from 2024, the first and so far only crypto operator in Italy to perform the role of tax substitute for its clients.