DekaBank launches Bitcoin and altcoin trading for Sparkassen customers
DekaBank opens crypto trading to Sparkassen customers
DekaBank, which provides securities services to Germany's Sparkassen savings banks, launched crypto trading on Oct. 19. Adult customers of participating Sparkassen can now buy Bitcoin through the Sparkasse app after opening a Deka crypto account.
The service is called "Krypto – powered by Deka." Alongside Bitcoin, it offers Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Polygon's POL.
To use it, a customer needs a current account at a participating Sparkasse and must open the crypto account through the app's "Anlegen," or investing, section.
Five savings banks listed so far
- As checked on Oct. 20, Deka's list of participating banks named Frankfurter Sparkasse, Sparkasse Rottal-Inn, Niederrheinische Sparkasse RheinLippe, Taunus Sparkasse and Sparkasse Karlsruhe.
- Each Sparkasse decides on its own whether to offer the service.
- Deka says the rollout will happen in stages over the coming months.
- The launch follows plans that were reported in June 2025.
Costs per trade
Deka's retail pricing sheet sets a charge of €0.99 for each purchase or sale. There is no minimum order size, and the maximum is €250,000 per transaction.
The trading quote also includes a DekaBank spread added to a market reference price. A spread is the gap between the price shown to a buyer or seller and the underlying market price, and it adds to the cost of a trade. The pricing sheet does not give a numerical spread rate, so the €0.99 fee alone does not show the full trading cost.
Deka's product page also warns that technical faults and maintenance can stop customers from buying or selling at their preferred time or price.
Deka keeps the keys and limits transfers
Deka's product page says it holds customers' crypto centrally and keeps the private keys on their behalf in a shared, or omnibus, wallet. Private keys are the digital keys that control access to crypto holdings.
Outbound delivery is only allowed to addresses at specified crypto-asset service providers, known as CASPs. Other destination addresses are excluded, which blocks direct transfers to a customer's own self-custody wallet.
Deka's October whitelist names Crypto Finance (Deutschland) GmbH, Tangany GmbH, Börse Stuttgart Digital Custody GmbH and Bullish Europe GmbH. A separate minimum-delivery table sets the Bitcoin threshold at 0.0001 BTC.
Deka lists custody and permitted outbound delivery as free. It also warns of possible total loss and says crypto holdings are outside statutory bank-deposit protection.
What is confirmed
DekaBank launched the service on Oct. 19. The supported assets are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and POL. The fee per purchase or sale is €0.99, with no minimum order and a €250,000 maximum per transaction. Deka holds the private keys in an omnibus wallet, and outbound transfers are limited to the named CASPs. The five Sparkassen listed above appeared on Deka's participating-bank list as of Oct. 20.
What is still unclear
Deka's announcement and bank directory give no figures for opened crypto accounts or trading customers, so the scale of actual use is not known. The pricing sheet also does not state the size of the DekaBank spread, so the total cost of a trade cannot be calculated from the published information.
Why this matters for Sparkassen customers
The service gives customers of participating Sparkassen a way to buy several cryptocurrencies inside an app they may already use for banking, rather than through a separate crypto exchange. At the same time, because Deka keeps the keys and restricts transfers, buyers do not get direct control of the assets in their own wallet. Deka states that crypto holdings are not covered by statutory bank-deposit protection and that a total loss is possible.
What happens next
Deka says the rollout will continue in stages over the coming months, and each Sparkasse will decide independently whether to join.
Sources
Newisty Editorial Team covers technology, cryptocurrency, digital products, online platforms, developer tools and the wider digital economy. Our content is researched from official sources, company announcements, public documentation, market data and other primary or reputable sources. Articles are reviewed and edited before publication for clarity, accuracy and useful context.