Crypto Exchange Muscle-In: FC Basel Ditches Traditional Sponsors for Digital Gold Rush
Swiss football club FC Basel just scored a controversial own goal—ditching legacy sponsors for a crypto exchange’s deep pockets. The deal screams ’2025’: volatile digital assets meet Europe’s most unpredictable league.
Blockchain goes mainstream—again. This time via football jerseys rather than Silicon Valley hype cycles. TradFi bankers will grumble about ’speculative sponsors’ while quietly mining their own bags.
Another club in the advertising portfolio
Starting next season, the first team of FC Basel will wear the name of its future main sponsor on its chest. The exchange’s logo will also be visible in and around St. Jakob-Park. In addition to FC Basel 1893, Bitpanda is heavily involved in sports. Its existing partnerships include athletes such as Swiss tennis star Stan Wawrinka, world number two Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, and top European clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and FC Bayern Munich. Moreover, the crypto platform is a partner of the ATP Tour, notably supporting Swiss ATP tournaments in Basel and Geneva. Through the partnership with FCB, the exchange aims to strengthen its presence in Switzerland.
"As a huge sports fan, I know how much passion, identity, and heart are invested in a club like FC Basel. For me, it is always something special to work with people and institutions that honor their roots, embody real values, and have built a strong community across generations. This down-to-earth mentality and relentless drive for development perfectly match our own aspirations at Bitpanda. That’s why we are very excited to accompany FC Basel as the main sponsor and to write new chapters together in this great tradition." - Eric Demuth, Co-Founder and CEO of Bitpanda
David Degen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of FC Basel, also expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership.
"We are proud and thrilled to welcome Bitpanda as our new main sponsor to the FCB family. Both companies stand for a spirit of innovation and the ambition to break new ground. With Bitpanda, we are gaining a strong, international partner at our side who not only shares our values and, like us, is rooted in the heart of Europe. We are also gaining a partner through whom our fans can connect with the club in new ways." - David Degen, Chairman of FCB
