PANews reported on December 9th that, according to the Coinbase blog , PNC Private Bank , one of the top ten banks in the US, has launched direct spot Bitcoin trading via Coinbase 's Crypto-as-a-Service . PNC becomes the first major US bank to support buying, selling, and custody of Bitcoin within its digital banking platform, allowing users to operate without opening an external exchange account. This expansion is based on a strategic partnership established by the two companies in July of this year . Trading and custody are completed within the PNC platform, with Coinbase providing secure and scalable infrastructure, and is open to eligible private banking clients.