Cryptocurrency trading has been launched in Germany by Santander’s digital bank, with an expansion to Spain also on the agenda as Europe’s largest lenders accelerate their crypto services.
A new offering for German clients is being introduced by Openbank, Grupo Santander’s digital bank, amid rising demand for crypto assets in Europe.
It was announced by the bank on Tuesday that customers in Germany can now purchase, sell, and hold Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Polygon, and Cardano directly on its platform.
It was stated by Santander that the new service integrates crypto alongside Openbank’s existing investment products, thereby eliminating the need for third-party platforms and operating under the European Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework.
The rollout of crypto trading services to Spain is slated for the weeks ahead, along with additional token offerings and features like crypto-to-crypto swaps.
The head of crypto at Grupo Santander, Coty de Monteverde, stated that cryptocurrency was being added to its trading platform in response to customer demand.
Based in Spain, Santander is counted among Europe’s largest banks, serving over 175 million customers in more than 40 countries, according to its website. The bank’s wholly digital subsidiary, Openbank, provides services to more than 2 million clients across Spain, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, the U.S., and Mexico.
This launch is not Santander’s first venture into crypto. A Ripple-powered payments app named One Pay FX was introduced by the bank in 2018, enabling retail customers in Spain, the UK, Brazil, and Poland to execute same-day international transfers.
Recently, consideration has been given by Santander to entering the stablecoin market, exploring retail crypto services and the potential launch of dollar- and euro-pegged tokens.
German Banks Prepare for Crypto Adoption
The move by Santander is regarded as a component of a wider trend in Germany, where the nation’s largest banks are preparing to integrate crypto services under Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework.
A crypto pilot was initiated in September 2024 by DZ Bank, the second-largest lender in Germany, which spanned 700 cooperative banks and utilized Börse Stuttgart Digital’s infrastructure.
In July 2025, Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest lender, stated its plans to introduce a digital asset custody service in 2026 in partnership with Austria’s Bitpanda and Swiss tech firm Taurus, reviving an initiative first outlined in 2020.
It was noted by Sabih Behzad, head of digital assets at Deutsche Bank, that the bank was contemplating an entry into the stablecoin market, either through the issuance of its own token or by joining existing projects.
Plans to introduce retail crypto trading to its nearly 50 million German customers were announced by Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe more recently. The service will be offered via its Sparkasse app by mid-2026, supported by DekaBank and Börse Stuttgart Digital.
A comparable trend is being observed in the U.S. Following the enactment of the GENIUS Act in July 2025, several banks—including JPMorgan, Citigroup, and Bank of America—have commenced exploring stablecoin issuance and consumer-focused crypto services.
