IG Group, the London-listed traditional finance heavyweight, is taking its crypto trading services pan-European. The company announced a partnership with Bitpanda that will let retail customers across Europe buy and sell spot crypto through IG's platform.
From UK to Europe
IG first dipped into spot crypto for UK retail clients back in 2023. That move was a toe in the water. Now it's a full-on expansion. The deal with Bitpanda — a Vienna-based crypto infrastructure provider — gives IG a ready-made backend for trading, custody, and settlement across multiple European markets. No word yet on which specific countries roll out first, but the company said the service is live for new clients now.
Why Bitpanda
Bitpanda already powers white-label crypto services for banks and brokers across Europe. It's regulated in Austria and holds licenses in several other EU states. For IG, that means skipping the slow grind of getting its own VASP registrations country by country. Instead, it plugs into Bitpanda's existing rails and offers spot bitcoin, ether, and a handful of other tokens. The move also lets IG focus on its core strength — trading interfaces and risk management — while Bitpanda handles the crypto plumbing.
IG's crypto push
IG Group isn't a crypto-native shop. It's best known for spread betting, CFDs, and forex. But the firm has been eyeing digital assets for years. The UK rollout in 2023 was a test. Now it's scaling. The timing is interesting: institutional adoption is climbing, but retail enthusiasm has been uneven across Europe. IG is betting that its existing client base — traders who already trust the brand for forex and indices — will follow it into crypto. The partnership structure also means IG avoids the capital-intensive work of building its own exchange. It's a classic TradFi play: partner, don't build.
IG hasn't disclosed a target for client numbers or trading volume. For now, the focus is on onboarding European users and making sure the Bitpanda integration runs smoothly. The company will also need to navigate each country's local crypto tax and marketing rules — something Bitpanda's regulatory coverage should help with. Expect more announcements in the coming months as IG fleshes out which tokens it supports and which markets it prioritises.
