The international bank, which was founded in 2018 and concentrates on the digital assets space, is building links with "Web3" – aka blockchain-based businesses – startups.

AMINA Bank, a Swizerland-headquartered crypto lender, operating in Asia and the Middle East, has launched a network that links blockchain-based (“Web3”) startups to the business services such new firms need to thrive. 

The initiative brings together 17 specialised Web3-native partners across four categories: venture capital and accelerators, law and tax advisory, blockchains and protocols, and Web3 consultancies, AMINA Bank said in a statement yesterday. Part of the programme, crytos in the crypto spfa4 provide Web3 startups with support spanning banking, compliance, fundraising, and strategic guidance.

The bank said that Web3 startups challenges beyond just banking access – navigating multi-jurisdictional tax obligations, securing legal counsel for crypto-native business models  – are finding investors who understand digital assets, and can manage specialised technical infrastructure. 

“Traditional service providers have struggled to keep pace with Web3 innovation, forcing founders to piece together fragmented support when they can find relevant expertise at all,” AMINA Bank said.

"AMINA is uniquely positioned to create this ecosystem as a regulated bank with deep crypto and startup knowledge," Jürgen Hofbauer, global head of growth and partnerships at AMINA Bank, said. “Having started as a crypto-native startup ourselves, we understand that founders need more than just banking. They require specialist crypto tax advisors, legal experts who understand fast-evolving business models, technical infrastructure partners, and investors who truly understand the crypto industry.”

The inaugural programme cohort includes 17 partners: 21X, Andersen, Appold, Blockdaemon, Bloctopus, CVVC, EFOUR, gunnercooke, hs-consult, JayBee AG, RockawayX, Swiss CryptoTax, Tenity, TON Foundation, Vectra Advisors, warias, and xSPECTAR.

In recent developments, Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) granted a Type 1 “licence uplift” to AMINA (Hong Kong), a subsidiary of Switzerland-headquartered AMINA Bank. The change allows AMINA HK to offer 4/7 crypto spot trading, asset safeguarding, and crypto deposits and withdrawals directly to and from whitelisted addresses through a framework designed to meet SFC regulatory standards.

AMINA – formerly called SEBA Bank – which was founded in April 2018, is based in Zug, Switzerland. In 2024, AMINA (renamed from SEBA Bank in 2023) recorded 69 per cent revenue growth, reaching $40.4 million, which it said made it Switzerland’s fastest-growing crypto bank. Its Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong entities have each received a range of regulatory licences. The bank also named a head of its Asia-Pacific business, Michael Benz. This publication interviewed AMINA Bank about its approach to regulation and new products and services.