Is Luzerner Kantonalbank crypto friendly?
Yes. Crypto trading, custody and wallet transfers are built into the bank's own e-banking, for Swiss residents.
CBL Score: 7 of 16
| Criterion | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts exchange transfers | partial (1) | unverified |
| Stablecoin off-ramp | partial (1) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Business accounts for Web3 | no (0) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Custody | yes (2) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Staking and yield | no (0) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Card | partial (1) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Multiple jurisdictions | no (0) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
| Open to retail | yes (2) | source · checked 8 September 2026 |
Total 7 of 16. Yes scores 2, partial 1, no 0. A secondary source is press or a third party rather than the bank or its regulator. Unverified means no source could be found; the score stands until one is.
Score history
Scores are revised when a bank's documents change. Each revision is dated and sourced.
| 8 September 2026 | Card | no to partial | source |
Standing
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland |
| Type | Traditional |
| Health tag | Solid State-guaranteed cantonal bank, profitable, clean record. · checked 26 August 2026 |
| Last verified | 8 September 2026 |
If they close your account
Closure policy: Silent
| Notice | No notice period. AGB clause A.14 (Basisdokumente, edition 1 January 2026) lets the bank end existing business relationships, including credits, at its free discretion with immediate effect, unless something else was agreed in writing. Any claims fall due for repayment at once. Clause C.1.6 also lets the bank block or end e-banking access at any time without giving reasons. |
| Reasons given | No. The policy says reasons are not given |
| Access to funds | Clause A.14: the customer is given a reasonable grace period to say where the terminated assets should go. If no instruction comes, the bank may deliver the assets physically or liquidate them, then deposit the proceeds with a court, transfer them to another account in the customer's name, or send them to the last known address. |
| Appeal | No internal appeal against a closure is stated. Clause A.13: if bank and customer cannot find a solution, the customer may turn to the Schweizerischer Bankenombudsman, Bahnhofplatz 9, Postfach, 8021 Zürich. |
| Names crypto as a ground for closure | no |
Sources: LUKB Basisdokumente (Stand 1 Jan 2026), AGB clauses A.5, A.13, A.14 and C.1.6 · official, checked 23 September 2026
A closure usually starts as a freeze. The Frozen Account Survival Kit covers the first 48 hours. Every bank side by side: which banks tell you why they closed your account.
Right of reply
Luzerner Kantonalbank replied on 29 September 2026 (deputy head of communications and media spokesperson):
Sehr geehrter Herr Velleman
Danke für Ihre Anfrage.
Die von Ihnen zitierten Bestimmungen der Basisdokumente der Luzerner Kantonalbank sind allgemeine vertragliche Regelungen, welche eine offizielle Kündigung im klassischen Sinne ohne Angabe von Gründen enthält. Davon zu unterscheiden ist ein Silent Closing ohne aktive Kündigung und ohne Kontaktaufnahme.
Insbesondere lässt sich aus den genannten Bestimmungen keine generelle Praxis der LUKB ableiten, Geschäftsbeziehungen aufgrund von Krypto-Aktivitäten ohne vorgängige Kommunikation zu beenden. Im Gegenteil, denn Ziffer A.14 unserer AGB ist so verfasst, dass von einer Kontaktaufnahme der Bank zum Kunden auszugehen ist. Es ist zudem von einer Nachfrist die Rede, was darauf schliessen lässt, dass wir nicht einfach die Geschäftsbeziehung still auslaufen lassen.
Entscheide über die Aufnahme, Weiterführung oder Beendigung einer Geschäftsbeziehung erfolgen unter Berücksichtigung der konkreten Umstände sowie der geltenden gesetzlichen und regulatorischen Anforderungen.Vor diesem Hintergrund erachten wir die Zuordnung des Labels «Silent closure» allein aufgrund der zitierten allgemeinen Vertragsbestimmungen als nicht sachgerecht.
Freundliche Grüsse
Printed in full, as received.
Our translation from the German:
Dear Mr Velleman
Thank you for your enquiry.
The provisions of Luzerner Kantonalbank's base documents that you cite are general contractual rules, which contain a formal termination in the classic sense without stating reasons. This is to be distinguished from a silent closing, without active termination and without contact.
In particular, no general LUKB practice of ending business relationships because of crypto activity without prior communication can be derived from the provisions cited. On the contrary: clause A.14 of our General Terms and Conditions is worded on the assumption that the bank contacts the customer. It also refers to a grace period, which indicates that we do not simply let the business relationship lapse quietly.
Decisions on opening, continuing or ending a business relationship take account of the specific circumstances and of the applicable legal and regulatory requirements.Against this background, we regard assigning the label «Silent closure» on the basis of the cited general contractual provisions alone as not appropriate.
Kind regards
What Luzerner Kantonalbank allows and blocks
Allowed
- Buy and sell nine coins inside LUKB e-banking and the mobile app: BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, LINK, POL, AAVE, USDC and USDT
- Custody of the coins by the bank itself, held off balance sheet in an ISAE 3000 and ISAE 3402 certified setup, segregated in bankruptcy
- Transfer supported coins in from an external wallet you control, free of charge, minimum CHF 5,000 per coin
- Withdraw supported coins to an external wallet you control, CHF 80 per coin, minimum CHF 1,000
- Sell USDC or USDT into your CHF or foreign currency account with no FX fee
- Crypto savings plan from CHF 10 per purchase, weekly to yearly
- Lombard loans secured on Bitcoin and Ethereum since September 2025
- Trading around the clock, including weekends, from CHF 50 per order
- Credit card purchases of crypto from third-party providers are priced in the card fee schedule (4%, max CHF 10)
Blocked or restricted
- US persons cannot hold crypto at LUKB
- No crypto payments to or from third parties, and no card payments with the crypto held at the bank
- Only coins in LUKB's own list can be deposited or withdrawn
- Withdrawals go only to addresses you can show you control, and AML checks can lock the coins for several days
- No staking or yield on crypto
- Crypto cannot be held in the Vermögensberatung Compact advisory product
- No published policy on bank transfers to or from external crypto exchanges
Opening an account
- Private individuals can open a customer relationship and an E-Depot online in a few minutes, or at a branch. Existing customers switch crypto trading on inside e-banking.
- The launch release describes the target group as Swiss residents with a securities deposit at LUKB. US persons are excluded from crypto.
- The list of identity documents and the processing time are not published on the pages reviewed.
- A CHF, EUR or foreign currency Privatkonto costs CHF 3 a month, CHF 2 with CHF 10,000 in assets, free with a mortgage or CHF 100,000 in securities.
- Professional and institutional clients under FIDLEG go through a separate opening process via krypto@lukb.ch.
Fees that matter
- Trading margin per order: 1.80% up to CHF 10,000, 1.55% to CHF 50,000, 1.25% to CHF 100,000, 1.00% to CHF 990,000, on request above. No minimum commission and no FX surcharge.
- Custody 0.60% a year excluding VAT, with no minimum in the E-Depot when it holds only crypto.
- Crypto deposits from external wallets are free (minimum CHF 5,000 per coin). Withdrawals cost CHF 80 excluding VAT per coin (minimum CHF 1,000). Complex deposits can trigger a chargeable AML review.
- Account CHF 3 a month. SEPA and other foreign payments are free via e-banking. Credit card crypto purchases at third parties cost 4%, capped at CHF 10, and card FX is 1.75%.
Regulatory history
| 2001 | Converted from a public-law institution into a listed AG under cantonal law; the Canton of Lucerne must hold at least 51% and guarantees all liabilities the bank's own funds cannot cover. source |
| 2024 | Launched crypto trading and in-house custody in e-banking on 4 March 2024 (BTC, ETH, USDC), then external wallet deposits and withdrawals from 1 October 2024. source |
| 2025 | Launched Lombard loans secured on Bitcoin and Ethereum on 25 September 2025, after adding transfers for all listed coins and services for institutional clients at the end of 2024. source |
See a mistake? Email hi@cryptobanklist.com. Every factual correction is logged on our corrections page.
Questions about Luzerner Kantonalbank
Does Luzerner Kantonalbank let me send money to Kraken or Coinbase?
The bank does not publish a policy on transfers to crypto exchanges. Its credit card tariff does price crypto purchases at third-party providers at 4%, capped at CHF 10, so such payments are not blocked outright. The bank's own answer is to buy inside e-banking, where it trades nine coins directly.
Can I withdraw Bitcoin from LUKB to my own wallet?
Yes. Since October 2024 you can send supported coins to an external wallet you control, for CHF 80 per coin with a CHF 1,000 minimum. Deposits from your own wallet are free above CHF 5,000 per coin. AML checks can hold the coins for several days.
Does LUKB offer staking?
No. The current services are trading, custody, a savings plan, wallet transfers and Lombard loans on BTC and ETH. The bank told press in 2024 it was looking at staking, but nothing has launched.
What does crypto cost at Luzerner Kantonalbank?
Trading costs 1.80% per order under CHF 10,000, falling to 1.00% above CHF 100,000, with no FX surcharge and no minimum commission. Custody is 0.60% a year. The minimum order is CHF 50, or CHF 10 in the savings plan.
Closest alternatives
Yes for buying and holding crypto inside the bank, but nothing moves in or out.9/16PostFinance
Yes. PostFinance sells, holds and stakes crypto in its own app, but only for Swiss residents and with no way to move coins to your own wallet.