Itaú Unibanco has registered with Brazil’s central bank to offer trading and custody for 15 crypto assets, including Bitcoin, Ether, and XRP.
Itaú Unibanco submitted its notification to the Banco Central do Brasil three days before the regulatory deadline of 30 October 2026. This makes it the first bank in Brazil to complete the process. The registration covers both trading and custody, which places Itaú in the brokerage category under the new rules. The bank can buy and sell crypto assets on customers’ instructions and hold those assets on their behalf.
The 15 assets are offered through the bank’s íon investment app. They are Bitcoin, Ether, Solana, XRP, USDC, Arbitrum, Bitcoin Cash, Chainlink, Avalanche, Litecoin, Optimism, Aave, Uniswap, Polygon, and PAX Gold. The filing does not introduce a new product. Itaú has offered crypto trading since December 2023, and the notification brings that existing service under the central bank’s formal framework.
Resolution 520 sets the terms
The filing follows Resolution 520, which came into force on 2 February 2026. The resolution gives licensed financial institutions 270 days to notify the central bank of their crypto activities. Each notification must include an independent technical certification. Banks that miss the deadline must stop their crypto services within 30 days. Crypto exchanges are treated differently and must apply for full authorisation.
Itaú’s filing does not name any settlement asset. The bank has not said it will use XRP, or any other token, for cross-border transactions. There is also no indication that it will use the XRP Ledger or partner with Ripple for payment routing. XRP is one of the 15 assets available to buy, alongside tokens such as Litecoin and Uniswap. Central bank filings as of March 2026 showed that Brazilian banks held no virtual assets on their balance sheets. This means crypto bought through Itaú’s platform belongs to customers. The bank’s own research has previously suggested a 1% to 3% allocation to Bitcoin as a supplementary holding.
Crypto is part of Itaú’s investment strategy, but it does not yet appear as a separate item in the bank’s financial reporting. In its third-quarter 2025 report, Itaú Asset set up a structure to manage crypto funds, the first Brazilian bank to do so. In January 2026, Itaú completed the acquisition of a 50.1% stake in Avenue, a US-based digital securities broker. Neither venture is reported as a distinct revenue stream. The bank reported a 5.8% increase in commissions and banking fees, driven by cards, investment banking, and insurance, with no reference to crypto income.
Other Brazilian banks face the same deadline
Itaú is the first bank to register, but several Brazilian institutions already offer crypto services. Nubank lists 28 crypto assets. State-owned Banco do Brasil began allowing customers to buy Bitcoin and Ether directly in January 2026. Bradesco and Santander Brasil have expanded their crypto offerings since 2025. BTG Pactual has launched a crypto trading platform. In September 2025, Banco Safra issued Safra Dólar, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, and keeps its custody in-house.
All of these banks are subject to the 30 October 2026 deadline. Those that do not file will face the 30-day wind-down requirement set out in Resolution 520.
