Germany's Sparkassen Network Begins Five-Coin Trading Rollout in App

Germany's Sparkassen savings-bank network began rolling out cryptocurrency trading in its banking app on Oct. 19, giving customers at participating banks access to five digital assets within a network serving about 50 million people.

Customers can trade Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), XRP, Solana (SOL) and Polygon's POL token. Stablecoins and meme coins are excluded from the initial offering. Access depends on whether a customer's local Sparkasse has joined the rollout.

DekaBank, the network's investment institution, handles trade execution and works with Stuttgart Stock Exchange on custody.

The German Savings Banks Association (DSGV) expects 30 to 40 savings banks to add the service each month. About 230 have expressed interest, though that does not mean their customers can trade yet.

Sparkassen is a network of local savings banks, so the launch does not make crypto trading available to all of its customers at once. The association expects most interested banks to connect in the first half of 2027.