Can I Buy Bitcoin with BoursoBank?
You can buy Bitcoin through an exchange funded from your BoursoBank compte bancaire (current account). The bank itself offers only securities that track crypto prices. Since 25 March 2025, its brokerage has listed ETNs issued by CoinShares and BlackRock's iShares covering five large coins, led by Bitcoin and Ethereum. For coins you can withdraw, you need an exchange.
Funding that exchange counts as an ordinary virement (bank transfer). BoursoBank publishes no crypto-specific cap or exchange blocklist, so its standard transfer limits apply. We tested this by sending €2,000 to Kraken minutes after adding the beneficiary. BoursoBank refused the payment because it limits instant transfers to a recently added beneficiary to €1,500. A second payment of €1,500 arrived in seconds, and we sent the balance by standard SEPA.
Other French banks have taken different approaches. BNP Paribas offers ETNs to Hello bank! customers, while BPCE allows Caisse d'Epargne clients to buy coins directly through its Hexarq subsidiary for a subscription. When funding an external exchange, whichever bank you use, the receiving platform now needs MiCA authorisation. Our best crypto exchanges in France guide lists those that qualify.
How to Buy Crypto with BoursoBank
Send a free SEPA transfer from BoursoBank to Kraken, then place a limit order on Kraken Pro. This leaves the trading fee as your only purchase cost. French residents use Kraken through Payward Europe Solutions Limited, which the AMF lists as authorised in France under its Irish MiCA licence.
Steps to buy crypto with BoursoBank:
- Create and verify a Kraken account: Register on Kraken and complete identity checks (KYC) using your carte nationale d'identité or passport. Your name must match the BoursoBank account exactly. Kraken returns deposits sent from accounts in another name.
- Generate your EUR deposit details: Open Deposit in Kraken, choose EUR, then select SEPA. The Banking Circle method provides a personal German IBAN, starting DE, in your own name. No payment reference is required.
- Check your BoursoBank ceiling: Go to Virements in the Espace Client, then Gérer mes plafonds de virement. The default is €15,000 per day for each account, and you can change it yourself at any time.
- Add the beneficiary and send: Enter the DE IBAN and your own name as the account holder. Since last October, BoursoBank has checked SEPA transfers through Verification of Payee, the EU system that compares the beneficiary name with the receiving bank's records. Limit your first virement instantané to €1,500 or use a standard transfer for a larger sum.
- Buy on Kraken Pro: After the euros arrive, open BTC/EUR and place a limit order to set the highest price you will pay. A Pro maker order costs 0.40%. Kraken's simple Buy button charges 1% plus a spread, the difference between the quoted and market price.
Before overriding a partial name match, check the spelling against your Kraken profile. Deposits from a joint BoursoBank account are accepted only if your own name appears on that account.
BoursoBank Crypto ETNs vs Owning Crypto
BoursoBank's ETNs suit investors who only want price exposure within a brokerage account. You hold a listed debt security: a claim on the issuer backed by coins it keeps in custody. European rules prevent a retail investment fund from holding a single asset. That is why French brokers list ETNs, while spot Bitcoin ETFs trade in the United States.
- Products listed: At launch, the range included five CoinShares products covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana and Cardano, plus BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin ETP. They are quoted in euros on Euronext Paris and settled through Euroclear.
- Eligible accounts: ETNs can be held only in a compte-titres ordinaire (ordinary brokerage account). They are ineligible for the PEA, France's tax-favoured share savings plan. BoursoBank also requires a short knowledge test before your first order.
- Costs: Your BoursoBank brokerage tariff determines order fees. The issuer also deducts an annual management fee within the product, whereas coins held on an exchange carry no annual charge.
- Limits of ownership: You cannot withdraw ETNs to a personal wallet, spend them or stake them (lock them to earn network rewards). Euronext's opening hours also restrict trading, while crypto markets operate all week.
- Tax treatment: Gains are taxed as securities gains at the flat rate by default. BoursoBank includes them on its annual tax statement (IFU), with no form 2086 or foreign-account declaration to file.
- Investor protection: If BoursoBank fails, the FGDR securities guarantee covers the loss of your securities up to €70,000 per client. It does not cover falling prices or an issuer default.
To buy coins you control using BoursoBank, the SEPA transfer described above is the only option.
Fees, Tax and Transfer Limits for BoursoBank Customers
Moving euros from BoursoBank is free. Purchase costs come from the exchange, with any tax consequences handled in the following spring's return.
BoursoBank costs and limits
- Standard SEPA transfer: Free, with funds reaching the beneficiary in one to three working days.
- Virement instantané: Free and credited in under ten seconds. A global ceiling of €30,000 per day applies across all your BoursoBank accounts.
- New beneficiary rule: Instant payments are limited to €1,500 while a beneficiary is considered recently added. BoursoBank does not specify how long this status lasts on its help page. Use standard SEPA for a larger first deposit.
- Plafond de virement: You can raise the €15,000 default to a figure of your choice, with no maximum set by BoursoBank. Each account has a separate ceiling; standing orders do not count towards it.
- Cards: Kraken's card gateway accepts BoursoBank Visa cards. However, Kraken charges €0.25 plus 3.75% and blocks withdrawals for 72 hours after a card purchase.
- Wero: The bank plans to introduce the European instant payment app Wero by the end of the year. Kraken lists no Wero deposit method, leaving SEPA as the funding option.
- Justificatif économique: BoursoBank's anti-money-laundering duties allow it to request a document explaining a transfer. For sale proceeds returned from Kraken, the exchange's account statement and ledger export answer that request.
- Deposit guarantee: The FGDR, France's deposit guarantee fund, covers euros held at BoursoBank up to €100,000 per person. Crypto on any exchange is outside the scheme.
Kraken fees
- EUR deposit: Free by SEPA and SEPA Instant, with a €1 minimum.
- Kraken Pro spot trading: Entry-tier fees are 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker. Once 30-day volume passes $2,500, they fall to 0.30% and 0.60%. At $10,000 of volume or $20,000 held on the platform, the rates are 0.22% and 0.38%. Maker orders wait on the order book; taker orders match immediately. Our maker vs taker fees explainer covers the distinction.
- Instant Buy: 1% plus a spread included in the quote. This option suits a small first test only.
- EUR withdrawal to BoursoBank: A flat €1 fee by SEPA or SEPA Instant, with a €2 minimum.
- Crypto withdrawal: A flat fee for each asset, reflecting the network used and displayed before confirmation.
French tax on crypto
- Flat tax (PFU): Gains from selling crypto for euros or spending it are taxed at 31.4%. This comprises 12.8% income tax and 18.6% social levies. Coin-to-coin swaps are not taxable events. Lower earners can choose the progressive income tax scale instead.
- €305 threshold: Gains are exempt if your household's total annual sales do not exceed €305. The threshold applies to sale proceeds, not profit, so even a small gain on a €2,000 sale is taxable.
- Form 2086: Report each taxable sale on formulaire 2086 with your annual return. Losses can offset gains only within the same year.
- Form 3916-bis: Because Kraken is supervised in Ireland, the account counts as foreign and must be declared annually, including years when you sell nothing. Failure to declare it carries a fine of €750 per account, rising to €1,500 once its value exceeds €50,000.
- DAC8 reporting: EU-licensed exchanges have collected identity and transaction data since 1 January under DAC8, the EU tax-reporting directive. The first reports will reach France's tax authority, the DGFiP, next year.
For a €5,000 Bitcoin purchase, BoursoBank charges nothing. An entry-tier Kraken Pro maker order costs €20, compared with €40 for a taker order.
Best Exchanges for BoursoBank Customers
Exchanges now need MiCA authorisation to serve French residents. On 1 July, the AMF's transition period for older PSAN registrations ended. Binance stopped serving French users that day after failing to secure a licence, which excludes it from the comparison below.
Kraken combines free SEPA deposits with Kraken Pro's order books, while Bybit offers the widest coin selection at a 0.10% trading fee. For a simpler app, Coinbase leads the group. Coinhouse provides French-language support from Paris. The broader market is covered in our roundup of MiCA-licensed exchanges.
BoursoBank Cryptocurrency Policy
BoursoBank neither trades nor holds crypto for customers and has announced no plans to offer these services. Management described the ETN launch partly as an anti-fraud measure, arguing that access through the bank keeps customers away from fake crypto investment sites. Within the app, an account aggregator can display balances from external platforms, including Kraken and Coinbase, alongside bank accounts.
Crypto products are available elsewhere in the Société Générale group, but none reaches BoursoBank customers. The group's SG-FORGE subsidiary issues EUR CoinVertible and USD CoinVertible, two stablecoins pegged to a currency. It holds an electronic money institution licence from France's banking supervisor, the ACPR. These tokens target companies, institutions and exchanges.
MiCA has applied to crypto services since 30 December 2024. France's 18-month transition for firms with the older PSAN registration has now expired, settling the authorisation requirements for exchanges. Serving French residents without authorisation carries a risk of two years in prison and a €30,000 fine. Check the AMF white list before transferring money to a platform.
About BoursoBank
BoursoBank is the trading name of Boursorama S.A., a Société Générale subsidiary based in Boulogne-Billancourt. At the end of June, it served 9.1 million customers and managed €102 billion on their behalf, making it France's largest online bank. Just over half use it as their main bank.
Its roots are in the boursorama.com markets portal, and it remains the leader in French online brokerage with more than 1.3 million brokerage accounts. After ING closed its French retail business in 2022, the bank welcomed its customers. The Boursorama Banque name changed to BoursoBank the following year. Today, it competes with Fortuneo for fee-conscious customers. Those banking with its parent can use our Société Générale guide.
Customers bank entirely through the app and Espace Client, with no branches. The range includes free Welcome and Ultim Visa cards alongside a paid Metal tier. BoursoBank also offers regulated savings such as the Livret A and LDDS, plus a PEA, life insurance and the Bourso Business account for self-employed customers. The ACPR supervises the bank, while the AMF oversees its investment services. Société Générale's group supervisor is the European Central Bank.
Bottom Line
BoursoBank is one of the easier French banks to use for buying crypto, as long as you account for its first-transfer limits. Add Kraken's IBAN in your own name and keep the first instant payment at €1,500, or use standard SEPA. Raise the default €15,000 ceiling if necessary. Its brokerage ETNs offer fair price exposure and simple tax reporting, but you cannot withdraw them from your compte-titres as coins.
We recommend Kraken for its Irish MiCA licence recognised by the AMF and free euro deposits. Pro fees begin at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, with lower rates as volume grows. Declare the account each spring on form 3916-bis and retain Kraken's ledger export for form 2086. Under DAC8, the DGFiP will soon receive the same figures.
