Germany’s DZ Bank Secures MiCAR Approval, Bringing Regulated Crypto Trading to Millions

Key Takeaways:

• DZ Bank has received MiCAR approval from BaFin to operate its regulated crypto platform, meinKrypto.
• The platform will allow cooperative banks to offer crypto trading directly inside the VR Banking App.
• Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Cardano will be available at launch, with custody handled by Börse Stuttgart Digital.

DZ Bank’s regulatory green light marks a major step for crypto adoption inside Europe’s traditional banking system. With MiCAR approval in hand, the bank is preparing to roll out crypto trading to retail customers through Germany’s vast cooperative banking network.

DZ Bank Gets MiCAR Approval for “meinKrypto”

DZ Bank confirmed that it received authorization under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) from Germany’s financial watchdog, BaFin, in late December 2025. The approval allows the bank to operate meinKrypto, a regulated crypto trading and wallet platform designed for retail customers of cooperative banks.

The product is built for the Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken network, which together form one of Europe’s largest retail banking groups. While DZ Bank operates the core platform, each individual cooperative bank will decide whether to adopt the service and must file its own MiCAR notification with BaFin before going live.

After onboarding, the customer will be able to make full-digit crypto asset investment, without having to open accounts on external exchanges.

Read More: Aave Wins MiCAR Greenlight, Unlocking Zero-Fee Stablecoin On-Ramps Across Europe

Crypto Trading Embedded Directly in the VR Banking App

As an alternative to rolling out a separate app, DZ Bank decided to implement meinKrypto as a part of the already existing VR Banking App. This approach keeps crypto trading inside the same interface customers already use for checking accounts, savings, and payments.

The platform functions as a self-directed wallet product. It is explicitly positioned for customers who want direct exposure to crypto markets rather than advisory-based investment products. The service will not be subject to the traditional retail advisory services of the banks that will not offer crypto-investment advice.

Assets Available at Launch

At launch, meinKrypto will support four major cryptocurrencies:

• Bitcoin (BTC)
• Ethereum (ETH)
• Litecoin (LTC)
• Cardano (ADA)

DZ Bank has not yet determined the timelines to include additional assets, although the design can be extended, as the regulatory clarity and demand changes.

Infrastructure Partners Behind the Platform

The technical stack behind meinKrypto combines several established financial and crypto service providers. DZ Bank and Atruvia, the IT service provider of the cooperative banking sector in Germany, developed the platform together. This is compatible with hundreds of banks with common core systems.

Borse Stuttgart Digital, a digital asset custodian that is controlled by one of the largest stock exchange organizations in Germany, manages crypto custody. The process of trade is managed by EUWAX AG, the trading platform of Börse Stuttgart that is famous in structured products and digital asset trading.

The arrangement has the asset storage, execution and banking services segregated and still operating under one regulated framework.

How MiCAR Shapes the Rollout

The MiCAR establishes a single set of regulations of crypto-assets throughout the European Union. According to the framework, companies are required to acquire certain licenses based on the services that they provide such as custody, trading and issuance.

The operation of DZ Bank crypto platform is approved, although cooperative banks that wish to participate in the system have to pass a formal notification procedure with BaFin. The step ensures that all banks comply with the requirements of cryptocurrency trading, risk management, and protection of customers.

Genoverband research (Genoverband, September 2025) also showed that over 1/3 of cooperative banks intend to roll out the crypto solution within the next few months. What it implies is that it will be implemented slowly as opposed to an overall introduction nationwide.

Germany’s Banks Move Closer to Retail Crypto Adoption

Germany has become one of the fastest-growing crypto markets that are better regulated in Europe. Chainalysis data as of late 2025 indicated that the crypto economy in the country is growing at a double-digit rate annually, which is mostly due to regulated banks and not offshore markets.

The move by DZ bank shows transition in the path of crypto getting to the common people. Banks are also integrating crypto access into the product features of pre-existing financial access instead of onboarding end users via exchanges or decentralized applications.

This will appeal to users who desire price exposure and entry level trading capabilities without using personal keys, bridging or using interfaces with which they are not familiar.

Read More: Telcoin Becomes First U.S. Regulated Blockchain Bank Launching eUSD Stablecoin

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