Deutsche Bank's Regulated Crypto Custody Service Set for End-2026 Launch
Deutsche Bank is set to launch a regulated digital asset custody service for European institutions by the end of 2026. The bank will initially support Bitcoin and Ether, as well as a narrow group of stablecoins and e-money tokens.
The service will allow clients to store and transfer digital assets without building their own custody infrastructure, which Deutsche Bank's co-head of corporate bank, Gerald Podobnik, framed as a complement to traditional finance rather than a replacement for it.
This is not a sudden pivot, but rather the culmination of years of development. Deutsche Bank partnered with Taurus on custody infrastructure in 2023 and had already flagged a 2026 launch target last year.
Deutsche Bank is entering an already crowded German custody market alongside dozens of existing license holders. However, this move still lowers the operational barrier for corporates and institutions that have wanted crypto exposure but didn't want to run their own key management.