Key Insights
- Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe plans to offer regulated crypto trading to over 50 million customers by summer 2026, managed through Dekabank via the Sparkasse app.
- The initiative marks a major reversal from Sparkassen’s previous anti-crypto stance, now aligning with the EU’s MiCA regulations.
- Other major German banks, including DZ Bank and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, are also expanding into crypto services, signaling mainstream adoption.
FRANKFURT, (MarketsXplora) – German banking giant Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe is preparing to roll out crypto trading services to its more than 50 million customers by the summer of 2026, signaling a major institutional shift in the country’s financial landscape.
The move, reported by Bloomberg on Monday, will see Dekabank—an existing player in the crypto space and wholly owned by Sparkassen—manage the new digital asset offering through the group’s flagship Sparkasse app.
In a statement, the German Savings Banks Association (DSGV) confirmed the development, saying the initiative will provide customers with “reliable access to a regulated crypto offering.” The project is said to be in response to growing demand and falls under the European Union’s new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which took effect in December.
From Crypto Skepticism to Strategic Embrace
The move marks a dramatic reversal from Sparkassen’s earlier position. In 2015, the banking group blocked crypto purchases altogether, citing volatility and risk. Executives had since maintained a cautious stance, publicly ruling out involvement with digital assets—until now.
Despite the shift, the DSGV emphasized that its fundamental outlook on cryptocurrencies remains conservative. “Cryptocurrencies are highly speculative investments,” the group said, adding that the new service will not be advertised. Instead, customers will receive comprehensive risk disclosures, including warnings about the “potential for total loss.”
Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe is one of Europe’s largest financial institutions, comprising more than 370 savings banks and around 500 affiliated companies. Together, the network manages over €2.5 trillion ($2.9 trillion) in assets.
Germany’s Banks Edge into Crypto
The development comes amid broader crypto adoption among German banks. In September 2024, DZ Bank, Germany’s second-largest financial institution, launched a pilot crypto service in partnership with Boerse Stuttgart Digital. The program is expected to expand across its 700 cooperative bank partners following successful testing.
Similarly, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, the country’s largest federal bank, announced in April 2023 a partnership with Austria’s Bitpanda to provide crypto custody solutions to institutional clients.
Related: Deutsche Bank Eyes Crypto Custody Service Launch in 2026
Industry voices have hailed Sparkassen’s move as a tipping point. Filipp Bolotov, CEO of AI and blockchain firm ERA Labs, called it a “big move for mainstream adoption.” Kyle Chasse, crypto venture capitalist and founder of Master Ventures, commented that “banks are catching up.”
At this year’s Paris Blockchain Week in April, industry leaders projected a deeper push by banks into the crypto sector by late 2025. Eric Turner, CEO of blockchain analytics firm Messari, and Thomas Eichenberger of Switzerland’s Sygnum Bank, pointed to growing regulatory clarity—particularly around stablecoins and institutional crypto services—as the catalyst.
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, also weighed in earlier this year, warning that banks failing to embrace digital assets risk becoming obsolete within a decade, citing inefficiencies in the current financial system.