PNC Becomes First Major U.S. Bank to Offer Direct Bitcoin Trading to Clients via Coinbase

PNC Bank has enabled direct spot bitcoin trading for eligible PNC Private Bank clients inside its digital banking platform using Coinbase’s Crypto-as-a-Service. Launched Dec 9, 2025, the integration lets high‑net‑worth clients buy, sell and hold BTC within existing accounts while Coinbase handles custody, trade execution and compliance. The feature — announced publicly in July 2025 after development since 2021 — is limited to bitcoin and does not involve PNC holding the assets or registering as a crypto broker.
AI Analysis
Facts: PNC rolled out embedded spot BTC trading for eligible private‑bank clients on Dec 9, 2025 using Coinbase CaaS; Coinbase handles custody, execution and compliance; PNC does not hold the assets and the feature is limited to bitcoin and to high‑net‑worth clients. These facts make the story mildly positive for bitcoin (increased client access) but limit broad, immediate market impact (restricted to private clients and no bank custody).