Germany’s main savings bank network launches Bitcoin trading

DekaBank, the securities provider for Germany’s Sparkassen savings banks, launched crypto trading on Oct. 19, giving adult customers of participating banks a way to buy Bitcoin through the Sparkasse app after opening a Deka crypto account.

The service, called “Krypto – powered by Deka,” also offers Ethereum, Solana, XRP and Polygon’s POL. Customers need a current account at a participating Sparkasse and open the crypto account through the app’s “Anlegen,” or investing, section.

As checked on Oct. 20, Deka’s participating-bank list names Frankfurter Sparkasse, Sparkasse Rottal-Inn, Niederrheinische Sparkasse RheinLippe, Taunus Sparkasse and Sparkasse Karlsruhe. Each Sparkasse decides independently whether to offer the service, and Deka says the rollout will proceed in stages over the coming months.

The launch follows plans reported in June 2025. Deka’s announcement and bank directory give no figures for opened crypto accounts or trading customers, leaving the scale of actual use unclear.

Bitcoin trading costs and transfer limits

Deka’s retail pricing sheet sets a €0.99 charge per purchase or sale, with no minimum order size and a €250,000 maximum per transaction.

The trading quote also includes a DekaBank spread added to a market reference price. The sheet does not give a numerical spread rate, so the order fee alone does not establish the full trading cost. Its product page also warns that technical faults and maintenance can prevent customers from buying or selling at their preferred time or price.

Deka’s product page says it holds customers’ crypto centrally and keeps the private keys on their behalf in a shared, or omnibus, wallet.

Outbound delivery is allowed only to addresses at specified crypto-asset service providers, known as CASPs. Other destination addresses are excluded, preventing direct transfers to a customer’s own self-custody wallet. Deka lists custody and permitted outbound delivery as free.