Yapı Kredi Kripto has selected Integral, a provider of currency technology, to power the trading side of its soon-to-launch regulated digital asset business in Türkiye. The partnership will let the group offer cryptocurrency services to customers once the business goes live.
The timing is tied to a regulatory shift. Türkiye is introducing a new framework for digital asset service providers, which creates a regulated environment for financial institutions to widen their offering to customers who want access to cryptocurrency markets. Yapı Kredi Kripto has already implemented Integral’s digital asset trading technology across pricing, liquidity and risk management, giving it the infrastructure to deliver what Integral describes as a secure and efficient trading experience.
Integral’s existing presence in the country was an important factor in the decision. The company has a long track record of providing FX trading and risk management infrastructure to regulated financial institutions in the Turkish market. Its ability to bring the solution to market quickly, along with its understanding of what regulated institutions require, also allowed Yapı Kredi Kripto to integrate the technology ahead of its launch.
Harpal Sandhu, CEO of Integral, said banks are looking to offer digital assets to customers but need to apply the same standards they use in traditional markets. He also pointed to the existing FX relationship with Yapı Kredi as the base for the new work.
“Banks are increasingly looking to provide their customers with access to digital assets, but doing so requires the same focus on resilience, liquidity, risk management and regulatory requirements that underpins traditional financial markets. We are delighted to expand our relationship with Yapı Kredi and support the bank as it enters the regulated digital asset market. Our established FX business with Yapı Kredi, together with our experience supporting regulated firms in Türkiye, provides a strong foundation for this next stage of our partnership,” Sandhu said.
Integral describes itself as the currency technology partner to hundreds of financial institutions, including banks, brokers, investors and cross-border payment companies. It was founded in 1993 and supports customers from offices in Palo Alto, New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore and Bengaluru.
There is no launch date yet, no word on which assets will be offered, and no comment from Yapı Kredi itself. For customers in Türkiye, what changes in practice will only become clear once the service goes live. Still, the move shows how a new rulebook can draw established financial institutions into a market that used to sit largely outside them, with trusted vendors helping them get there.
Herald View: When a bank steps into crypto, the headline is usually about the assets. The harder work sits in pricing, liquidity and risk, and that is where Yapı Kredi Kripto has leaned on a vendor it already knows from FX. That is a sensible choice for a regulated institution, since familiarity counts for a lot when the rules are new. The real test comes at launch, when customers show how much appetite there is for crypto from a bank they already trust.