Sparkassen to Let 50 Million Germans Trade Crypto by 2026

Germany’s biggest banking group, Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, is finally warming up to crypto. After years of brushing it off as too risky and too unstable, the institution is now preparing to let nearly 50 million customers buy and sell digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum from inside their regular banking app. No new apps, no third-party wallets,.. The post Sparkassen to Let 50 Million Germans Trade Crypto by 2026 appeared first on 99Bitcoins.

crypto

Jul 1, 2025 - 22:00

0 1

Sparkassen to Let 50 Million Germans Trade Crypto by 2026

Germany’s biggest banking group, Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, is finally warming up to crypto. After years of brushing it off as too risky and too unstable, the institution is now preparing to let nearly 50 million customers buy and sell digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum from inside their regular banking app. No new apps, no third-party wallets, just straight through the platform millions already use.

The rollout is expected by mid-2026 and is being built by DekaBank, Sparkassen’s asset manager, which already holds a crypto custody license under German law. That gives the whole project a layer of legal protection most crypto startups could only dream of.

From Skeptic to Onboard

It wasn’t long ago that Sparkassen was warning people to steer clear of crypto entirely. In 2023, the board was still convinced the risks were too high—concerns ranged from wild price swings to fraud, to a lack of regulation. But a few things changed. First, the EU introduced MiCA, giving banks a proper framework to work with. Second, competitors started stepping into the space, and customers began asking why Sparkassen wasn’t keeping up.