Deutsche Bank plans to launch an institutional crypto custody service in Germany within weeks and expand it to Asia in 2027. The service will support bitcoin, ether and the USDC, EURC and EURAU stablecoins, with the bank managing the cryptographic keys itself. The bank received MiCA authorisation from German regulator BaFin on 12 October. Further plans include stablecoin conversion, tokenized deposits and digital bonds, working with Bitpanda and Taurus.
What it means: Deutsche Bank's move shows how MiCA is changing the stance of large European banks toward crypto assets. With an EU-wide licence, a bank can offer custody to institutional clients in several countries without separate national approvals. The bank holding the keys itself matters, because institutional investors want a capitalised and supervised counterparty, not a start-up. Supporting euro stablecoins alongside dollar ones also signals that European banks want to push the euro in the digital economy. For the Greek market the news matters indirectly. Greek institutional investors such as insurers, pension funds and family offices will be able to find custody at a large European bank with a MiCA licence. It also pressures Greek banks to decide whether to offer such services or leave the field to foreign competitors. The development comes after the end of MiCA's transitional period in many member states in July 2026, which has already reshaped the market.
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