Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW), Germany’s largest federal bank has responded to a rising demand by its clients for digital assets by planning to offer crypto custody services.
According to BeinCrypto, the initiative by the bank developed in partnership with Bitpanda exchange indicates a growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies and digital assets by traditional banking institutions.
LBBW boasts of about $355 billion in assets and its entrance into cryptocurrency is a significant event capable of launching a bull run.
By the second half of 2024, LBBW and Bitpanda hope to offer Cryptocurrency custody services to their institutional and corporate clients.
The announcement follows a rising demand for digital assets among such clients, as noted by Jürgen Harengel, managing director of corporate banking at LBBW.
- “The demand from our corporate customers for digital assets is increasing,” Harengel said.
LBBW’s venture into Crypto custodial services is part of a broader trend in the German financial ecosystem. Banks and Asset managers are increasingly adopting crypto services in response to a growing demand for those services by their clients.
A forthcoming European Union crypto regulation drives these efforts by banks and asset managers in the country. The regulations are expected to bring clarity and stability to the handling of digital assets fighting the unstable nature of digital assets.
Other German Banks making a foray into cryptocurrency include Deutsche Bank with its digital-asset custody service, Crypto Finance, a subsidiary of Deutsche Borse with its license to provide comprehensive crypto trading, settlement, and custody services to institutional investors within Germany, and Commerzbank AG which has received approval from German regulators to establish a crypto custody business.
Such initiatives indicate a wider interest by German banks to inculcate Crypto services into the general service they offer their clients signaling a gradual acceptance of cryptocurrency by traditional banking institutions.
What To Know
- Germany has proven to be a crypto-friendly country. The country’s crypto revenue is expected to hit $2.5 billion by 2028.
- According to a study by Chainalysis, Germany is the second-largest Cryptocurrency economy in Europe and has been recognized as one of the friendliest regulatory environments for Cryptocurrency in Europe.
- According to data from TripleA and GWI Research, there are 3.49 million cryptocurrency users in Germany, accounting for about 4.19% of the total population.