Sparkassen launch crypto trading: 6 things to know
Germany's savings banks began offering bitcoin, ether, XRP, Solana and Polygon in the Sparkasse app on Oct. 19. Fees, custody limits and rollout explained.
CryptoGroup Newsroom · · 3 min read
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Germany's public savings banks have started letting customers buy and sell crypto directly in the Sparkasse banking app. The first institutions switched on "Krypto – powered by Deka" on Monday, Oct. 19, the savings bank association DSGV told dpa, as reported by Golem.de, and DekaBank confirmed the launch in a press release. Here is what matters for customers.
Only a few banks are live so far
Each Sparkasse decides for itself whether and when to join. The first five named by the Platow newsletter are Frankfurter Sparkasse, Taunus Sparkasse, Sparkasse Karlsruhe, Sparkasse Rottal-Inn and Niederrheinische Sparkasse RheinLippe. The DSGV expects 30 to 40 more to follow each month and wants a large share of interested banks connected in the first half of 2027. According to Platow, more than 200 of Germany's 337 Sparkassen are considering it.
Five coins at launch
Customers can trade bitcoin, ether, Solana, XRP and Polygon. The feature sits in the "Anlegen" (invest) section of the app, and DekaBank says no securities account is needed.
A flat fee plus a spread
Each buy or sell costs €0.99, with no minimum order and a cap of €250,000 per trade, according to Deka's price list as summarised by krypto-boersen.com. Custody is free. The real cost also includes a Deka spread on top of a market reference price, and its size is not published. On a €50 purchase the fixed fee alone is almost 2%.
Coins stay with DekaBank
DekaBank holds the coins centrally, with Börse Stuttgart Digital supplying liquidity. Withdrawals are only possible to wallet addresses at certain licensed crypto-asset service providers, so you cannot move coins to your own hardware wallet. If self-custody matters to you, see our guide to what a hardware wallet does.
No advice and no deposit insurance
The offer is execution-only: there is no investment advice and no broad marketing push. Crypto is not covered by statutory deposit protection, and the DSGV stresses the risk of total loss. DSGV board member Joachim Schmalzl named customer demand and a reliable European legal framework, meaning the EU's MiCA rules, as the reasons the banks finally went ahead.
A long road to launch
The savings banks first drew up crypto plans in late 2021, shelved them in summer 2022 and revived them with Deka in June 2025. Rivals such as Trade Republic, N26 and Revolut have offered crypto for years, and Volksbanken joined more recently. For a wider look at buying routes, see how to buy bitcoin.
This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile; do your own research. Read our disclaimer
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