Deutsche Bank's digital-asset custody service is now serving paying clients in Europe. It supports bitcoin, ether and three stablecoins, while stablecoin conversion and tokenized financial instruments remain later steps.
Deutsche Bank's digital-asset custody service is serving paying clients, the bank told Reuters on Nov. 11. The service moves the bank's European institutional offering from a conditional plan into operation.
The bank's launch notice says it has secured regulatory approval from Germany's financial supervisor, BaFin. Its product site lists bitcoin, ether and stablecoins USDC, EURC and EURAU as supported assets.
Who can use the service
Clients can hold those assets and transfer them to third parties while Deutsche Bank manages their wallets and private keys. As a result, clients use the bank's custody infrastructure rather than operate their own systems.
The initial offering covers institutional and corporate clients in Europe, including companies, asset managers, hedge funds, custodians, brokers and sovereign institutions. It is not a retail service. However, the launch notice does not identify customers, give their number or say when the first client began using the service.
Regulatory condition met
Deutsche Bank's Sept. 16 announcement made a 2026 launch conditional on completing the regulatory process. The European Securities and Markets Authority's MiCA register lists custody and transfer services for Deutsche Bank under Article 60, with an authorization/notification date of Oct. 12. The register date does not establish when commercial service began.
Holding stablecoins is not conversion
The live service is narrower than the bank's broader digital-asset plans. Corporate Bank Co-Head Gerald Podobnik told Reuters in October that custody would precede services helping clients move money into and out of mainstream stablecoins. Holding the tokens is part of the custody offering, while conversion is a later step.
Paul Maley, the bank's global head of trust and securities services, told Reuters on Nov. 11 that its medium-term aim was a "fully integrated, regulated ecosystem" spanning custody, tokenization and settlement. The bank also warns that cryptoassets do not have deposit-guarantee protection comparable to eligible bank deposits.
Source: The Defiant
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