Germany’s two largest banking networks are building out cryptocurrency trading platforms that will let customers buy and sell digital assets through the apps and platforms they already use for their regular bank accounts.
The Sparkassen and DZ Bank playbook
The Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, the sprawling network of Germany’s public savings banks, is planning to enable Bitcoin and Ether trading for roughly 50 million retail customers. The service will run through DekaBank’s securities platform and existing mobile banking apps, with a target launch of summer 2026.
Then there’s DZ Bank, the country’s second-largest lender and the central institution for Germany’s cooperative banking sector. DZ Bank has already secured authorization from BaFin, Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. Its platform, named “meinKrypto,” is targeting a launch by the end of 2025.
Both banking networks have tapped Boerse Stuttgart Digital to provide liquidity and infrastructure support. DekaBank itself rolled out institutional crypto trading and custody services earlier in 2025, before opening the doors to retail.
