Bordier & Cie, a Swiss financial institution operating for more than 170 years, has announced a partnership with digital asset bank Sygnum to allow its customers to purchase crypto assets.

The integration with Sygnum’s business-to-business banking platform allows Bordier’s clients to purchase Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Tezos (XTZ).

The announcement describes the move as “lay[ing] the foundation for a broader offering of regulated digital asset products and services,” including options and tokenized asset classes. Bordier managing partner Evrard Bordier said:

“By partnering with Sygnum Bank, we are providing our clients with a one-stop, integrated solution while empowering them to invest in this new, high growth asset class with complete trust.”

Bordier noted the move was driven by increasing demand from clients looking to diversify their portfolios with new assets. The firm emphasized the lack of correlation between the cryptocurrency and mainstream financial markets, describing crypto assets as a "powerful tool to enhance diversification and achieve superior risk-adjusted returns."

Bordier & Cie is a Geneva-based private banker founded in 1884, that has been owned and managed by the Bordier family for five generations. The bank’s introduction to crypto follows that of many other large institutions looking to adopt cryptocurrency in 2021.