Overview
- Strategy published its Bitcoin Banking Adoption Index on July 13 and scored 25 large banks at a 32% average adoption level with Fidelity ranked highest at 71%.
- The index measures depth across four areas—trading and custody, investment products, lending and executive support—using public-source evidence with a July 10 data cutoff.
- Independent estimates put individual ownership at roughly 66.1% of Bitcoin’s supply, about 13.9 million BTC, which means banks are competing to service coins already held by retail holders rather than creating demand from scratch.
- Regulatory and accounting moves cited in coverage include the SEC’s change to custody accounting (rescinding SAB 121), the Federal Reserve dropping advance-notice rules for state-member banks, OCC guidance on custody trading, and the Basel Committee’s crypto disclosure framework taking effect January 1, 2026.
- Banks are prioritizing ETF-linked custody and execution over direct balance-sheet Bitcoin exposure, adoption of BTC-backed credit remains limited, and wider bank custody could change who pays fees, who controls access to accounts and how Bitcoin is used as collateral.