Deutsche Börse, Germany’s Largest Stock Exchange To Launch Bitcoin and Ether Custody for Institutional Investors

Key Takeaways

• Deutsche Börse is set to offer crypto custody through its clearing entity, Clearstream.
• The service will initially support Bitcoin and Ether for 2,500 institutional clients.
• Clearstream plans to expand its offerings over time, including additional crypto tokens, staking, lending, and brokerage services.

Germany’s largest stock exchange, Deutsche Börse, is set to offer crypto custody services for institutional clients.

Through its post-trade division, Clearstream, the financial giant, will provide Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) custody solutions to its extensive client base, with plans to introduce more tokens, staking, lending, and brokerage services next.

Deutsche Börse to Begin BTC $ ETH Custody From April

The service, set to launch in April, will give banks and asset managers a regulated way to store digital assets without building in-house solutions.

The move signals a shift among traditional financial firms as demand for regulated crypto services grows, especially after Europe’s MiCA regulations took effect last year.

Jens Hachmeister, Clearstream’s head of digital markets, said the goal is to build a one-stop crypto solution integrating custody, brokerage and settlement.

Clearstream’s central securities depository (CSD) clients will be able to access the new crypto services directly through their existing Clearstream Banking SA accounts, simplifying integration for traditional financial firms.

Traditional Finance’s Rush Toward Crypto

Despite recent market turbulence, institutional interest in crypto remains high.

Deutsche Börse and Clearstream, two of the world’s largest clearinghouses, manage over $21 billion in assets and are now positioning themselves in the crypto sphere.

Meanwhile, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo have increased their exposure to Bitcoin ETFs, signaling a shift in how traditional financial institutions view digital assets.

Crypto Finance CEO Stijn Vander Straeten highlighted the strong demand for crypto services from international banks since MiCA regulations took effect last year.

He noted that some asset management firms spend up to €5 million to build internal crypto teams. Clearstream’s new offering could eliminate the need for such costly in-house infrastructure.

In the U.S., institutional crypto adoption is accelerating, with several crypto-based ETFs in the pipeline. Donald Trump’s administration is actively working to ease participation barriers for institutional clients, further fueling interest in regulated crypto products.