DZ Bank Pioneers Regulated Crypto Access in German Cooperative Banking

Germany's second-largest bank, DZ Bank, has secured approval from the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) to launch its cryptocurrency trading platform "meinKrypto." The authorization, granted at the end of December 2025 and publicly announced on January 13, 2026, positions DZ Bank to provide a regulated gateway for digital assets within the cooperative banking sector. This development follows extensive pilot testing that began in late 2024 and reflects a strategic push to integrate crypto services into traditional banking infrastructure.

The meinKrypto platform, developed in collaboration with Atruvia (the IT provider for the cooperative financial group), will initially support trading in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Cardano (ADA). It functions as a digital wallet integrated into the existing VR Banking App, with custody managed by Boerse Stuttgart Digital and trade execution handled by EUWAX AG. Rather than offering services directly to retail customers, meinKrypto serves as shared infrastructure for DZ Bank's network of over 670 cooperative banks, including Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken. Each individual bank must submit its own MiCAR notification to BaFin before enabling crypto trading for clients.

This milestone, backed by DZ Bank's substantial $760 billion in assets, signals accelerating mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies in Germany and Europe. With 71% of cooperative banks expressing interest in crypto offerings and parallel moves like Sparkassen's planned retail crypto services in 2026, the initiative underscores growing institutional integration of digital assets. By enabling seamless, regulated access through familiar banking channels, DZ Bank is poised to drive broader retail participation in crypto markets while adhering to stringent EU consumer protection standards.