Deutsche Bank Says Digital Asset Custody Service Has Launched
Deutsche Bank says it has launched digital asset custody for European institutions and companies after receiving regulatory approval.
In its announcement dated November 2026, Deutsche Bank said it had launched the service after approval from Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).
Deutsche Bank announced plans on 16th September 2026 to launch a digital asset custody service for institutional and corporate clients in Europe during the year. Its media release made the start conditional on completing the applicable regulatory process.
In the September plan, Deutsche Bank said it would manage the private keys, or digital codes, used to access and transfer clients' digital assets. Clients would be able to hold selected digital assets and transfer them to third parties without building and maintaining their own custody infrastructure.
The initial target group included companies and professional financial clients served by the bank's Corporate Bank and Investment Bank. The September release said access would depend on the bank's eligibility and screening requirements and the risks it was willing to take. It also said the service was not intended for retail clients.
The bank described controls including hardware protection for private keys, divided responsibilities, approval by more than one person for important actions, offline storage and backup and recovery arrangements.
The regulatory framework
The European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) sets out a notification route for banks, described in the law as credit institutions, providing crypto services; for wider context, see our earlier report on EU stablecoin service restrictions. Article 60, published in ESMA's interactive rulebook, requires them to notify their home regulator at least 40 working days before first providing those services.
The required information includes security arrangements, procedures for separating client assets and funds, and the custody policy. The regulator must assess whether the information is complete within 20 working days of receiving it. Services cannot begin while the notification is incomplete. The bank's November announcement reports BaFin approval but does not specify whether this involved an Article 60 notification.
Deutsche Bank's September release also warned that custody would not protect clients against changes in asset values, fraud or failures of other market participants. Crypto assets would not have deposit guarantee protection comparable to eligible bank deposits.
