Deutsche Bank has confirmed plans to launch Bitcoin and Ethereum custody services within weeks in Germany, with expansion into Asian financial centers planned for 2027, subject to regulatory clearance.
During an October 16 interview in Bangkok, Deutsche Bank’s corporate banking co-head, Gerald Podobnik, confirmed the launch timeline. Germany’s biggest lender aims to launch crypto custody in the coming weeks for institutional and corporate customers.
At first, the platform will offer Bitcoin and Ethereum in addition to a number of stablecoins such as USD Coin, EUR Coin and EUR Aura. Customers will be able to hold digital assets using managed wallets and transfer them, as detailed in its September announcement .
Deutsche Bank will take care of private keys and wallet security for its clients, for security reasons. The system will feature offline storage, multi-approval requirements for transactions and hardware protection.
Meanwhile, BNY recently expanded its digital asset custody services in Europe. On October 13, the US banking firm expanded its platform via a European entity registered under MiCA.
After the German launch, Deutsche Bank plans to expand its digital asset custody product to Asian financial centres. The expansion plans were described in the IMF/World Bank meetings in Bangkok by Podobnik.
The momentum is part of the lender’s growth plan of 8% annual corporate banking growth till 2028. According to Podobnik, increasing stablecoin adoption and demand for blockchain services are creating new opportunities for financial institutions.
However, Deutsche Bank has not disclosed which Asian markets will receive the custody service first. The expansion schedule will be dependent on regulatory approvals, internal testing and customer requests.
In addition to cryptocurrency storage, Deutsche Bank will also enable customers to transform conventional currencies into stablecoins and back. Podobnik confirmed that the lender plans to provide tokenized deposits and to provide an environment that is conducive to the development of blockchain-based securities, such as digital bonds.
However, other financial institutions are also taking steps in this direction, such as HSBC’s recent test of tokenized deposit payments with Ant Digital. On October 12, HSBC and Ant Digital tested automated payments and settlement using blockchain infrastructure.
Deutsche Bank’s approach, Podobnik explained, required financial institutions to have both blockchain services and traditional banking products. He emphasized that the new offerings would complement traditional financial services without necessarily replacing them.
For more information, explore the best institutional custody solutions for tokenized assets, RWAs, and securities in 2026, featuring reviews of eight leading providers.
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