DZ Bank clears regulation hurdle as Volksbanken prepare crypto rollout for retail users
DZ Bank said it received authorization under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) to operate its “meinKrypto” platform, clearing the way for local Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken to enable retail clients to buy and hold crypto inside the VR Banking app. The authorization was granted by Germany financial regulator BaFin in late December 2025 and announced on January 14, 2026.
The bank said meinKrypto will be available to primary institutions in the cooperative network “in the near future,” with each participating bank required to file a MiCA notification with BaFin before switching on the service for customers. At launch, the platform will support Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Cardano (ADA). DZ Bank emphasized that the offer targets self-directed investors and is separate from its advisory services for private clients.
Integration runs through the VR Banking app, making crypto accounts and custody accessible within the existing mobile experience. According to a September 2025 survey by Genoverband cited by DZ Bank, more than one-third of Germany’s cooperative banks plan to introduce the crypto solution in the coming months, though each institution will decide independently on timing.
The bank framed the authorization as part of a broader roll-out in partnership with Atruvia, the IT provider for around 700 cooperative institutions, whose “meinKrypto” front end had been previewed for the network in late 2024. Media coverage has described DZ Bank as among Germany’s largest lenders.
MiCA, the EU’s comprehensive rulebook for crypto-asset issuers and service providers, began phasing in during 2024 and is now being applied to trading and custody permissions across the bloc. DZ Bank’s authorization offers a template for other German institutions seeking to bring retail crypto access under prudential oversight and consistent consumer protections.
DZ Bank’s press statement specifies that BaFin issued the authorization at the end of December 2025, with the public announcement on January 14, 2026, and that live availability depends on each cooperative bank obtaining its own MiCA notification and implementing the service locally. Supported assets at launch are BTC, ETH, LTC and ADA via the VR Banking app’s meinKrypto wallet.
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