Germany’s second-largest lender DZ Bank has received authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, clearing the way for the launch of a retail crypto trading platform across the country’s cooperative banking sector.
The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, BaFin, granted the MiCAR license at the end of December.
With the approval, DZ Bank will roll out “meinKrypto,” a digital asset trading platform designed for customers of Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken, Germany’s network of cooperative banks.
The platform allows local cooperative banks to offer retail clients access to cryptocurrency trading within an existing banking environment.
DZ Bank acts as the central institution, while each cooperative bank must submit its own MiCAR notification to BaFin before activating the service for customers.
Once approved and integrated into the VR Banking App, meinKrypto will function as a wallet and trading interface for self-directed investors. At launch, the platform will support Bitcoin and other crypto.
Germany’s crypto cooperative banks
DZ Bank said additional assets could be added later, subject to regulatory review.
The rollout will follow a decentralized model. Each cooperative bank will decide whether to offer crypto trading based on its own strategy and risk assessment.
Customers will be able to buy, sell, and hold digital assets without using external exchanges, keeping activity within the regulated banking system.
The technical infrastructure behind meinKrypto was developed by Atruvia, the IT provider for the cooperative financial group, in partnership with DZ Bank. Stuttgart Stock Exchange Digital will provide crypto custody services, ensuring asset safekeeping under German and EU regulatory standards.
The move reflects growing interest in digital assets across Germany’s cooperative banking sector.
A September 2025 survey by the German Cooperative Banking Association found that 71% of Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken were considering crypto services, up from 54% the previous year.
About one-third of banks exploring crypto said they planned to launch offerings within five months.
DZ Bank’s entry into retail crypto trading follows earlier efforts focused on institutional clients. The Frankfurt-based lender began offering digital asset services for institutions through partnerships with regulated market infrastructure providers. The new MiCAR license extends that strategy to private customers through the cooperative network.
In a separate development, DZ Bank announced this week that it has joined Qivalis, a European banking consortium working on a regulated euro-denominated stablecoin.
The group of 11 banks plans to launch the stablecoin next year through a new Dutch entity under the same name.
Qivalis is seeking approval from the Dutch central bank to operate as an e-money institution, with a target market entry in the second half of 2026. The consortium says the project aims to support payments and settlement for European businesses and consumers within a regulated framework.
Together, the meinKrypto rollout and the stablecoin initiative signal a broader push by Germany’s cooperative banking sector to integrate digital assets into mainstream financial services under MiCAR.
