Deutsche Bank plans crypto custody launch within weeks

Deutsche Bank plans to begin offering digital-asset custody in Germany within weeks, targeting institutional and corporate clients, according to Gerald Podobnik, the bank’s corporate banking co-head. The timetable remains conditional: the bank says the service will be available only after regulatory requirements are completed and technical systems are ready, and it has not announced a public go-live date or named initial clients. Podobnik outlined the plan in an October 16 interview. Germany is the first planned market, with expansion into Asian financial centres targeted for 2027. The bank’s initial service is intended to safeguard clients’ digital assets and manage wallets and private keys, allowing customers to use bank-provided custody infrastructure rather than build their own. The service is not described as a retail crypto-trading platform. Deutsche Bank’s product information covers custody and transfers, including controls for authorizing movements of client assets. It also describes customizable transfer approvals, multifactor authentication, segregation of client assets and storage across warm and cold environments. Access is expected through the bank’s corporate...