IG Group, one of the largest retail trading platforms in the world, is making its move into European crypto markets. Its subsidiary IG Europe has struck a deal with Austrian digital asset platform Bitpanda to deliver spot cryptocurrency trading to investors across the European Union.

The partnership will tap Bitpanda’s existing infrastructure for liquidity, trading connectivity, and market data.

From the UK to the continent

This expansion follows IG’s launch of spot crypto trading for UK retail clients in June 2025.

IG Group reported £331.2 million in group revenue for Q1 2026. Of that, £2.4 million came from UK spot crypto operations.

No specific launch date has been disclosed for the European rollout. The company also hasn’t confirmed which tokens will be available for trading.

Why Bitpanda matters here

Bitpanda secured its MiCA authorization from Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) in April 2025. MiCA, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, is the first comprehensive crypto regulatory framework to cover all 27 member states. A MiCA license from one EU country lets you passport your services across the entire bloc.

For IG, partnering with a firm that already holds that authorization eliminates the need for separate regulatory legwork across member states. Bitpanda provides the infrastructure. IG provides the existing client base.

Traditional finance keeps crossing the crypto bridge

IG Group was founded in 1974 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It offers trading in everything from forex to equities to commodities across more than a dozen countries.

Robinhood acquired Bitstamp in 2024 to gain a European foothold. Revolut has been steadily expanding its crypto services across EU markets. Deutsche Boerse’s Clearstream launched crypto custody services. IG’s partnership with Bitpanda is another data point in this trend.

What this means for investors

For European retail investors, IG’s platform is already familiar to millions of traders who use it for stocks, indices, and forex. Adding spot crypto to that same interface removes a major friction point, allowing investors to potentially trade Bitcoin alongside their existing positions without maintaining separate accounts on crypto-native exchanges.

IG’s UK crypto revenue of £2.4 million in its first partial quarter shows demand exists. The absence of a confirmed timeline and token details means the partnership remains a statement of intent rather than a finished product.