European asset manager Amundi is reportedly planning to roll out its first Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded product (ETP) early in 2026, marking the first crypto fund issued by a top issuer in the region.
Amundi, Europe's largest asset manager with €2.3 trillion in assets under management, is reportedly preparing to launch a Bitcoin ETP, according to a Monday report from The Big Whale.
The move comes as Europe's regulatory landscape becomes more accommodating to crypto, with the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework providing fund managers with clearer guidelines and stronger safeguards for launching blockchain-based financial products.
Amundi, which controls more than €2 trillion in assets, would be the first major European asset manager to follow BlackRock's approach. BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, currently holds over 800,000 BTC, worth nearly 4% of the global supply and valued at around $97 billion.
"After watching the BlackRock hurricane from afar for a long time, the European asset management giant is taking the plunge," wrote Gregory Raymond, co-founder of The Big Whale.
The move reflects a growing demand for crypto ETFs, which offer investors direct exposure to the price of the underlying asset. Crypto products recorded high inflows last week, pulling in $3.17 billion, according to CoinShares data.
Bitcoin investment products led the market with $2.67 billion in weekly inflows, pushing year-to-date totals to a record $30.2 billion. Altcoins led by Ethereum, Solana, and Ripple also saw strong inflows despite the market dip late last week.
Amundi's interest in launching a crypto product could spark similar interest among other top financial institutions in the region.
European firms are already pushing into other crypto sectors, with nine banks collaborating to launch a stablecoin pegged to the euro. The stablecoin is expected to be rolled out in 2026 and aims to counter the dominance of the US Dollar in Europe.