Germany’s DZ Bank secures MiCAR authorisation…to launch crypto trading services

Germany’s financial group DZ Bank (DZ BANK) said on the 13th (local time) that it has obtained authorisation under MiCAR, the European Union (EU)’s crypto-asset regulatory framework, and is moving to roll out crypto-asset (cryptocurrency) trading services.

DZ Bank said it received MiCAR authorisation from Germany’s financial regulator BaFin at the end of December 2025 to operate its cryptocurrency trading platform “meinKrypto.” The platform will be offered to primary financial institutions within the cooperative financial group, and the bank plans to provide retail customers with cryptocurrency trading services through each bank in the near future.

Accordingly, individual cooperative banks such as Volksbank and Raiffeisenbank must separately complete a MiCAR notification process with BaFin in order to use “meinKrypto.” Once the notification is completed and the system is implemented, customers will be able to invest in cryptocurrencies entirely through non-face-to-face channels.

“meinKrypto” is a wallet-type service integrated into the VR Banking app and is a self-directed product in which customers make their own investment decisions. It is not included in financial advisory services for retail clients.

Initial tradable assets will include Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Cardano (ADA). Each cooperative bank will decide individually whether to introduce the service. According to a survey released by Genoverband in September 2025, more than one-third of all banks said they plan to adopt the crypto solution within the coming months.

The platform was co-developed by Atruvia, the cooperative financial group’s IT services company, and DZ Bank. Crypto custody will be handled by Boerse Stuttgart Digital, while trade execution will be carried out via EUWAX AG.

MiCAR is a unified regulatory framework applied across the EU to cryptocurrencies and related services, and financial institutions and market participants must obtain separate MiCAR authorisation depending on their type of business.