Swiss State-Owned Bank PostFinance Launches Ether Staking Service

PostFinance, a state-owned bank in Switzerland with around 2.7 million customers, has launched a new Ether (ETH) staking service. This move marks a significant step in the bank's ongoing embrace of digital assets, offering its customers the opportunity to participate in staking with as little as 0.1 Ether, roughly valued at $331.

In a blog post published on January 16, PostFinance announced that its staking service would offer investments using Ether for a fixed minimum term of 12 weeks, allowing users to earn rewards from their staked assets. Customers will also have the option to sell the staking rewards they accumulate during this period.

Traditionally, staking Ether requires a minimum of 32 ETH — around $106,000 at current prices — but PostFinance’s new offering lowers the entry barrier significantly, making it accessible to a wider range of users. This move aligns with the growing trend of traditional financial institutions entering the cryptocurrency space. Notably, Anchorage Digital became the first U.S. federally chartered bank to support liquid Ether staking in December 2024.

Alexander Thoma, Head of Digital Assets at PostFinance, explained that the bank’s staking service is fully integrated into its existing infrastructure. “The staking service is completely integrated into PostFinance’s existing services,” Thoma stated, adding that customers can track their staking rewards alongside their other crypto holdings in their asset statements.

Currently, the service is only available for Ether, but PostFinance has indicated plans to expand its offerings to include other cryptocurrencies in the future.

The introduction of PostFinance’s Ether staking service comes at a time when the Ethereum network continues to see significant growth in staked assets. According to the Beacon Chain, more than 33 million Ether are currently staked, a substantial increase from just 682,000 on December 1, 2020. Additionally, data from Dune Analytics reveals that Lido Finance, a liquid staking protocol, holds the largest market share for Ether staking at 28%, followed by Coinbase with a 9.5% share.

Founded in 1906, PostFinance is a subsidiary of Swiss Post, the national postal service of Switzerland. The bank currently manages around $136 billion (124 billion Swiss francs) in assets, according to the nonprofit Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF).

PostFinance’s launch of Ether staking is just one part of its broader strategy to integrate crypto services. In April 2023, the bank announced a collaboration with digital asset banking group Sygnum to offer crypto trading and custody services, which launched in February 2024. Additionally, PostFinance began developing a crypto custody platform in 2022 and ventured into the digital collectibles market in 2021 with the release of NFT-like assets tied to physical stamps.

As more traditional financial institutions explore the potential of digital assets, PostFinance’s new service represents a continued shift toward the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies, providing Swiss customers with a secure and accessible way to engage with the growing world of digital finance.