‘meinKrypto’: Germany’s Second-Largest Bank Cleared To Offer Retail Crypto Trading

Germany’s second-largest banking group, DZ Bank, has secured regulatory approval to enter retail cryptocurrency trading under Europe’s new MiCAR framework.

Specifically, in a press release from January 14, DZ bank confirmed it received MiCAR authorization from Germany’s financial regulator BaFin in late December, allowing it to operate its crypto platform called “meinKrypto.” The bank said:

“DZ Bank received MiCAR authorization from Germany’s financial regulator BaFin at the end on December 2025 to operate its platform ‘meinKrypto.'”

The platform will enable member institutions of Germany’s cooperative banking group, including Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken, to offer crypto trading directly to retail customers.

Indeed, once participating banks complete their own MiCAR notification process with BaFin and integrate the service, customers will be able to buy and hold crypto fully digitally inside their existing banking app.

What Is “meinKrypto”?

“meinKrypto” is a self-directed crypto wallet and trading platform developed jointly by DZ Bank and the cooperative banking IT provider Atruvia. 

“With ‘meinKrypto,’ DZ Bank has developed an offering for the cooperative banking group’s primary institutions, (…) allowing them to enable crypto trading for their retail customers.”

Its key features include direct integration into the VR Banking App, a design suitable for self-directed retail investors, existence outside traditional investment advisory services, custody provided by Boerse Stuttgart Digital Custody, and trade execution via EUWAX.

At launch, the platform will support Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Cardano (ADA). Each cooperative bank will decide individually whether to roll out the service.

German Banks Are Preparing For Crypto

As the bank explained, according to a Genoverband study (September 2025), more than one-third of Germany’s cooperative banks plan to introduce crypto trading in the coming months.

With MiCAR now live across the EU, banks no longer need to rely on regulatory gray zones. Instead, they can operate crypto services under a unified European framework, and DZ Bank is now one of the first major institutions in Germany to go live under the new rules.

Why This Matters

As it happens, MiCAR is rapidly transforming crypto from a fintech experiment into a regulated banking product. 

DZ Bank’s approval signals that crypto trading is moving directly into traditional banking apps, that European banks are preparing for mainstream retail adoption, and that Bitcoin and Ethereum are becoming standard investment rails alongside stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

For millions of German customers, buying crypto may soon be as simple as opening their banking app.

Bottom Line

To summarize, DZ Bank has received MiCAR authorization from BaFin to operate its retail crypto platform meinKrypto, allowing Germany’s cooperative banks to offer BTC, ETH, LTC, and ADA trading directly inside their banking apps.

With more than a third of cooperative banks preparing to launch crypto services, Germany’s retail banking system is about to onboard crypto at scale.

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