In a significant reversal of its longtime crypto-skeptic stance, Germany’s largest banking group, Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, is preparing to launch cryptocurrency trading services for its 50 million customers by mid-2026. The move marks one of the most consequential endorsements of digital assets by a traditional financial institution in Europe to date.
According to a report by Bloomberg on Monday, Dekabank, a subsidiary of Sparkassen and a financial powerhouse in its own right, has been selected to manage the new crypto services, which will be fully integrated into the Sparkasse mobile app.
The offering is expected to include crypto trading and custody features, operating under the EU’s recently implemented Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework.
This development positions Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe - also known as the Savings Banks Finance Group - at the forefront of a growing wave of institutional crypto adoption in Germany. With over €2.5 trillion ($2.9 trillion) in total assets under management and a network of 370+ savings banks, the group represents the most comprehensive retail financial platform in the country.
“The Savings Banks Finance Group will provide reliable access to a regulated crypto offering,” said the German Savings Banks Association in an official statement, emphasizing that the new services would be non-promotional, focused on transparency, and framed with clear risk warnings about the speculative nature of cryptocurrencies.
From Resistance to Adoption: A Major Institutional Turnaround
Sparkassen’s crypto embrace comes nearly a decade after the bank banned customer transactions related to cryptocurrency in 2015, and repeatedly dismissed digital assets as too volatile, too risky, and unsuited for traditional retail investors.
Executives had for years insisted that crypto markets lacked the maturity and safeguards required for mainstream finance. However, the arrival of MiCA, increased demand from digitally native users, and growing interest from institutional clients appear to have catalyzed a strategic pivot.
“Cryptocurrencies are still highly speculative,” DSGV noted, “but customer demand, combined with a regulated framework, allows us to responsibly integrate crypto services into our offering.”
The shift echoes broader institutional momentum in Europe, where MiCA has created a standardized regulatory environment for offering crypto-related services across the 30-member European Economic Area. Under MiCA, banks and fintech firms are subject to uniform rules around custody, transparency, reserve backing, and consumer disclosures.
Germany’s Banks Race to Catch Up With Crypto Adoption
Sparkassen’s move follows a string of crypto-related initiatives by other major German financial institutions:
In September 2024, DZ Bank, Germany’s second-largest financial institution, partnered with Boerse Stuttgart Digital to launch a pilot crypto trading and custody platform. Following the pilot, DZ Bank aims to expand access across its 700 cooperative banks nationwide.
In April 2024, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, the country’s largest federal bank, announced a crypto custody partnership with Bitpanda, offering token storage and crypto asset management services to institutional clients.
These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that blockchain-based financial services - including custody, tokenized securities, and stablecoin-enabled payments - are becoming integral to the next-generation banking infrastructure.
Dekabank Takes the Lead in Sparkassen’s Crypto Rollout
The technical and operational lead for Sparkassen’s crypto rollout will be handled by Dekabank, the group’s central securities and investment platform, which has already been experimenting with blockchain technology.
Dekabank has been involved in tokenized securities pilots, custody infrastructure development, and interbank ledger integrations. With its existing regulatory clearance and technological readiness, it is well-positioned to manage both the risk controls and compliance requirements demanded by Sparkassen’s broad client base.
Integration into the Sparkasse app, used by tens of millions of Germans for everyday banking, will make crypto trading directly accessible to the masses without the need for third-party exchanges. Analysts say this could significantly increase crypto exposure among retail savers, small businesses, and retirement investors across Germany.
“This is a big move for mainstream adoption,” said Filipp Bolotov, founder and CEO of blockchain-AI firm ERA Labs. “Sparkassen is one of the most trusted institutions in Germany. If they’re doing crypto, it’s no longer fringe - it’s financial infrastructure.”
Crypto Executives See a Tipping Point for Traditional Banks
Industry leaders and venture capitalists believe Sparkassen’s move is only the beginning of a much larger shift.
Kyle Chasse, founder of crypto VC firm Master Ventures, remarked that banks are experiencing a form of “FOMO” - fear of missing out - as they race to catch up with digital-native platforms and fintechs that have already embraced crypto.
“Banks are catching up. They realize the next generation of wealth is going to demand tokenized assets, real-time settlement, and programmable money,” Chasse said.
Others, like Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, have gone even further. Speaking in an April interview, Trump predicted that traditional banks could become obsolete within a decade if they fail to integrate crypto and digital asset services.
“If banks don’t embrace crypto and evolve, they’ll be extinct in 10 years,” Trump warned. “The current financial system is too slow, too expensive, and not built for the modern economy.”
At the Paris Blockchain Week in April, both Messari CEO Eric Turner and Sygnum Bank’s Thomas Eichenberger forecasted a second-half 2025 surge in crypto offerings by banks, driven by regulatory clarity around stablecoins and tokenized securities.
From Regulatory Barrier to Regulatory Catalyst: The Role of MiCA
What once seemed like a barrier - regulation - is now acting as a catalyst for institutional participation. The European Union’s MiCA framework, which came into force in December 2024, provides legal certainty for digital asset operations across the bloc, addressing everything from custody and trading to stablecoin issuance and disclosures.
For banks like Sparkassen, which historically avoided crypto due to unclear rules and reputational risk, MiCA presents an opportunity to launch crypto offerings safely, competitively, and compliantly.
“MiCA changes everything,” said a regulatory strategist from a German fintech advisory firm. “Banks no longer have to guess if they’re operating in a gray zone. They can build, launch, and scale with legal clarity.”
Sparkassen’s decision to offer crypto services by 2026 could accelerate broader financial sector transformation in Germany and beyond. With its reach, reputation, and infrastructure, the group may become a model for other large retail banks across Europe seeking to enter the space.
While Sparkassen will not advertise or promote crypto as a product, its passive rollout will likely still onboard millions of conservative retail investors to digital assets over time. If successful, it could set the stage for wider adoption of tokenized securities, decentralized identity tools, and stablecoin-powered payment networks in traditional banking systems.
As crypto-native companies and traditional financial institutions converge on the same infrastructure, 2025 may go down as the year that crypto stopped being an outsider - and started becoming the new standard.