UniCredit SpA, Italy’s second-largest bank group, recently launched an investment product for professional clients. A five-year U.S. dollar-denominated investment certificate will track the value of the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT).
It will only become accessible to Italian professional investors between July 1 and July 28. The certificate will have full capital protection at maturity to ensure that investors receive their initial investment back at maturity at the end of five years.
The structured product also provides exposure to how the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF performs. The ETF has about $75 billion in managed assets currently.
UniCredit certificate holders are guaranteed a maximum return of 85% of how the ETF performs in total. The minimum investment for clients is $25,000 to support high-investment capacity clients.
The bank created this product in response to growing demand for regulated and safe exposure to cryptocurrencies among institutional investors in Europe. Bitcoin has yet yielded around 14% in 2025 while smaller tokens underperform in spite of volatility.
BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), approved in January 2024 in America, has become one of the largest and most sought-after crypto ETFs. Its European counterpart, launched independently, shows the asset manager’s intentions of serving both the U.S. and EU marketplaces.
Institutional interest drives Bitcoin investment products
The success of this fund also indicates a significant trend in how conventional financial institutions are moving into the cryptocurrency space.
Chicco di Stasi, UniCredit’s Head of Group Investment Product Solutions and Equity & Credit Sales and Trading, has registered growing interest in professional investors. He has also indicated that it’s critical to suggest innovative solutions that align with new trends of asset classes such as digital currencies.
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Italy’s largest bank, entered into the market with a Bitcoin purchase in January this year. The bank has also established a digital asset trade desk with increasing institutional interest in the market.
Spain’s Banco Santander SA has been reported to chart a broad move with in-house discussion ongoing about the release of a euro-backed stablecoin and crypto access to retail consumers.
The UniCredit offer marks a significant step in bringing crypto exposure into structured bank-issued financial products for professional clients in Europe.
