Germany’s largest federal bank has jumped on the crypto bandwagon.

Landsbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), Germany's largest federal bank, plans to offer cryptocurrency custody services.

Developed in partnership with the Bitpanda exchange, this initiative demonstrates the traditional banking industry's growing acceptance of digital assets. With around 333 billion euros (~$355 billion) in assets, LBBW's entry into the crypto holding market is a remarkable event.

Why German banks are jumping on the crypto bandwagon.

Starting in the second half of 2024, LBBW and Bitpanda aim to offer these services to their institutional and corporate clients. The announcement follows a growing demand for digital assets among clients, according to Jürgen Harengel, managing director of corporate banking at LBW.

“The demand for digital assets from our corporate clients is increasing,” Harengel said.

Moreover, this work is part of a wider trend in the German financial ecosystem. Banks and asset managers across the country are actively developing escrow services and creating proprietary products for the crypto market.

These efforts are largely a response to the European Union's crypto regulations, which are expected to bring transparency and stability to the management of digital assets. Moreover, crypto revenue in Germany is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2028.

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Deutsche Bank is making progress in this domain with its digital-asset protection service. In addition, the DWS unit is part of a consortium that is pioneering a Euro-certified stablecoin. Such initiatives reflect a broader movement among financial institutions to integrate cryptocurrencies into their service offerings.

Commitment is also evident at Crypto Finance, a subsidiary of Deutsche Börse. Crypto Finance has received four essential licenses from Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Baffin).

These licenses enable Crypto Finance to offer comprehensive crypto trading, settlement and custody services to institutional investors in Germany. Furthermore, the regulatory approval in Switzerland has further strengthened Crypto Finance's position in the European crypto market.

On the other hand, Commerzbank AG received permission from BaFin to establish a crypto custody business. This approval shows BaFin's support for the examination of digital assets as long as well-established financial institutions have secured the necessary licenses.

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Beyond Germany, global efforts to embrace cryptocurrencies continue to gain traction. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and seven central banks have launched Project Agora. This project seeks to integrate tokenized commercial and central bank funds on a single registry platform. As such, it aims to address inefficiencies plaguing cross-border payments and enhance financial integrity oversight.