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<p>The <a href="https://x.com/Sparkasse" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@Sparkasse</a> banking group, Germany's largest financial group, has started offering crypto spot trading inside its banking app. Customers can buy, sell and hold <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24BTC&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$BTC</a>, <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24ETH&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$ETH</a>, <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24XRP&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$XRP</a> and <a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24SOL&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$SOL</a> without going through a separate exchange. The service also covers Polygon (<a href="https://x.com/search?q=%24POL&amp;src=cashtag_click" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$POL</a>), according to reports on the launch.</p>
<h2 id="what-sparkasse-is-offering">What Sparkasse is offering</h2>
<p>The first Sparkasse customers <a href="https://cryptoticker.io/en/german-savings-banks-crypto-trading-launch-19-october-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">have been able to trade in the App Sparkasse since Monday, October 19, 2026</a>, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana and Polygon available. The product is called "Krypto powered by Deka" and is run by DekaBank, the group's securities arm. Custody is handled in cooperation with Boerse Stuttgart, per the same report.</p>
<p>Fees are set at <a href="https://en.bloomingbit.io/feed/news/122505" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">0.99 euros per order</a>. The savings banks have also warned that crypto is a high-risk asset class, that prices are volatile and that investors could lose their entire stake.</p>
<p>The launch is not a single nationwide switch-on. <a href="https://news.bitcoin.com/de/crypto-news/sparkassen-starten-krypto-handel-bitcoin-xrp-und-solana-in-der-app/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitcoin.com reports, citing the DSGV savings bank association via dpa</a>, that 30 to 40 additional savings banks are expected to join each month. DSGV executive Joachim Schmalzl said each Sparkasse decides for itself when to start. Golem.de reports that the association aims to have a large share of interested savings banks connected in the <a href="https://www.golem.de/news/kryptowaehrungen-erste-sparkassen-starten-bitcoin-handel-2610-214236.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">first half of 2027</a>.</p>
<p>Sparkassen will not give investment advice on digital assets and do not plan to promote the service heavily at first, the DSGV said. CryptoTicker also notes that users <a href="https://cryptoticker.io/en/german-savings-banks-crypto-trading-launch-19-october-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">cannot withdraw to their own hardware wallet</a>, as keys stay in trust at DekaBank.</p>
<h2 id="regulation-and-a-change-of-stance">Regulation and a change of stance</h2>
<p>The move follows the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which <a href="https://cryptoslate.com/german-banking-giant-sparkassen-to-offer-crypto-trading-to-50-million-customers-by-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">set a single legal framework for crypto businesses across EU member states</a>. CryptoSlate also reports that DekaBank holds a crypto custody licence from Germany's financial regulator BaFin. Schmalzl said customer demand and a reliable European legal framework were decisive, according to Golem.de.</p>
<p>The launch marks a reversal. Sparkassen had <a href="https://dig.watch/updates/sparkassen-to-offer-crypto-trading-in-germany-by-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">called digital assets 'highly speculative' in 2023</a> and avoided crypto products. The group serves roughly 50 million customers, according to CryptoTicker, though the rollout will reach them only as individual institutions switch on the feature.</p>
<p>For XRP, the listing places the token inside a mainstream European retail banking channel. How many customers will actually trade it remains to be seen, given the staggered rollout and the group's decision not to advertise the product.</p>
<h2 id="sources">Sources</h2>
<p><a href="https://cryptoticker.io/en/german-savings-banks-crypto-trading-launch-19-october-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CryptoTicker: Sparkasse crypto trading launch details</a><br><a href="https://www.golem.de/news/kryptowaehrungen-erste-sparkassen-starten-bitcoin-handel-2610-214236.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Golem.de: Erste Sparkassen starten Bitcoin-Handel</a><br><a href="https://cryptoslate.com/german-banking-giant-sparkassen-to-offer-crypto-trading-to-50-million-customers-by-2026/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CryptoSlate: Sparkassen crypto trading plans and MiCA context</a></p>

Top European Bank just launched spot trading of XRP and more...

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