Belgium’s KBC Bank to Offer Bitcoin Trading to Retail Customers

Belgium’s second-largest bank, KBC Group, will become the first bank in the country to let everyday customers trade Bitcoin and Ethereum. The bank confirmed the move on January 15, 2026, and said trading services will start during the week of February 16, 2026 through its online investment platform, Bolero.

KBC’s announcement marks a milestone for crypto adoption by traditional banks in Belgium. The service will be offered in compliance with the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which aims to create consistent rules for digital-asset services across the EU.

Under the plan, clients must complete a risk-knowledge and experience test before they can trade. The platform will operate on an “execution-only” basis, meaning KBC will not provide investment advice. Trades will be conducted inside a closed-loop system on Bolero; investors won’t be able to transfer crypto assets out to external wallets or exchanges.

KBC serves about 4 million users through Bolero, and the bank said it has filed a full Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) notification with Belgian authorities to offer the new services.

The move comes after KBC first proposed offering crypto trading to retail clients in mid-2025, pending regulatory approval. At the time, the bank said it intended to let customers buy and sell Bitcoin and Ether directly through Bolero once permissions were in place.

What This Means for Belgian Investors

Regulated crypto trading inside a local bank could change how some Belgians invest in digital assets. Until now, most retail investors in the country have used foreign platforms such as Binance, Coinbase, or Revolut to buy and sell crypto.

By integrating crypto services into Bolero, KBC aims to provide a safer and more familiar option for investors who already use the platform for stocks and bonds. The bank has emphasized investor education as part of the rollout, with materials available to help users understand risks like price volatility.

The launch also reflects a broader shift in Europe. Financial institutions in several countries, including Germany, have begun offering regulated crypto trading under MiCA or similar frameworks. KBC’s move places Belgium alongside this trend, though wider adoption by other Belgian banks has yet to be seen.

Overall, the introduction of in-bank crypto trading could expand access to digital assets for retail investors while keeping them within regulated financial environments. 

CoinCodex Prediction Maps Bitcoin in the $74K to $105K Band

Meanwhile, CoinCodex projects Bitcoin drifting lower over the next 12 months, with its baseline forecast pointing to $84,737 by Jan. 11, 2027 from a $95,333 starting point. The model’s implied move equals a 11.1% decline, and its dotted projection line spends much of 2026 trending down before flattening near the end of the window.

Bitcoin BTC Price Forecast 2026 2027. Source: CoinCodex

The forecast also sets clear outer bounds for the year ahead. CoinCodex lists a predicted high of $105,000, which signals the model still allows a rebound back toward six figures. However, the projected path does not stay near that level. Instead, it treats any strength as temporary and returns to a softer slope afterward.

On the downside, CoinCodex places a predicted low at $74,425, which defines the risk range if declines deepen. The forecast line leans toward the low-$80,000 area during 2026, then steadies, suggesting the model expects price to spend more time below the current level than above it as the year progresses.