Overview
- Sparkassen, which opened crypto trading on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, let the first retail customers trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana and Polygon inside the Sparkassen app.
- The rollout is phased with each regional Sparkasse choosing when to join and about 30 to 40 additional banks expected to connect each month toward a large share onboarded by the first half of 2027.
- DekaBank runs the execution and the Sparkassen will custody assets in cooperation with Börse Stuttgart, offering customers in‑app trading without requiring a separate exchange account.
- The network will not provide broad investment advice, will show explicit warnings about high volatility and the risk of total loss, and the offering is being promoted with a reported low per‑order fee of €0.99.
- The move follows clearer EU rules under MiCA and rising demand from younger clients who previously used neobanks and exchanges, and it could slow customer outflows to mobile-first competitors if regional uptake and pricing hold.