Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s largest bank, significantly increased its exposure to cryptocurrency assets in the first quarter of 2026.
According to the data shared, the bank increased its crypto-related assets from around $100 million in Q4 2025 to around $235 million as of March 31.
According to the published table, the bank’s largest position is concentrated in spot Bitcoin ETFs. Intesa Sanpaolo’s ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF position increased from 2.49 million to 3.61 million, while its holdings in the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF increased from 470,000 to approximately 647,000. The bank also opened a new position of 2.49 million call options on iShares Bitcoin ETF.
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The bank also gained its first exposure to Ethereum. Intesa Sanpaolo has made a new investment in ETH by purchasing approximately 3.15 million shares through iShares Staked Ethereum Trust.
On the other hand, the bank has also entered the market for Ripple-related products. According to the data, Intesa Sanpaolo has created a new one $XRP position worth approximately $18 million by purchasing 712,319 shares of Grayscale $XRP Trust.
In response, the bank significantly reduced its exposure to Solana. Its stake in the Bitwise Solana Staking ETF fell from 266,000 to just 2,817. This indicates that the bank restructured its portfolio allocation in the first quarter, shifting it towards a portfolio with a high concentration of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
*This does not constitute investment advice.