Bitcoin Suisse has opened for business in Portugal, offering trading, custody and staking services there from October 20, 2026. The launch runs through Bitcoin Suisse (Europe) AG under the license the firm obtained earlier this year through the EU's MiCA framework.
What Bitcoin Suisse is offering in Portugal
The service menu covers three core areas: buying and selling crypto, holding it safely, and staking it. Staking means locking up tokens to help secure certain blockchains in exchange for rewards.
The target audience is not the casual app downloader. Bitcoin Suisse is going after high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional clients. Clients get proprietary technology paired with dedicated relationship managers.
Leading the Portuguese operation are Rafaella Orelli and Alexander Spann. The pair will be responsible for building out the local client base under the new structure.
Group assets under management are reported to sit somewhere between $3.5 billion and $4 billion.
The license behind the move
On June 23, 2026, Liechtenstein's Financial Market Authority granted Bitcoin Suisse (Europe) AG a Crypto Asset Service Provider license under MiCAR. MiCAR, often shortened to MiCA, is the EU's rulebook for crypto markets. A CASP license is the permit that lets a firm legally provide crypto services under that rulebook.
Before the CASP license, the entity operated under Liechtenstein's Token and TT Service Provider Act, known as the TVTG.
The upgrade unlocks passporting. A firm licensed in one European Economic Area country can offer services across the rest of the EEA without applying for a fresh license in each one.
Portugal appears to be one of the first places Bitcoin Suisse is putting that passport to work. The launch is described as part of a broader expansion plan that followed the June licensing.
Why Portugal
Bitcoin Suisse was founded in 2013 in Zug, Switzerland. Its footprint already stretches beyond Switzerland to Bermuda and the UAE.
Chainalysis data ranks Portugal 20th globally for digital asset adoption on a population-adjusted basis.
What it means for clients and competitors
For Portuguese investors with large crypto positions, the arrival adds another regulated option. Under MiCA, that option comes with a common set of EU rules rather than a patchwork of local arrangements.
