Deutsche Borse-acquired crypto broker secures German licenses

Switzerland-based crypto brokerage firm Crypto Finance has obtained four licenses from Germany’s BaFin as it plans to double down on the European market.

Digital asset brokerage firm Crypto Finance owned by multinational financial giant Deutsche Börse has secured four licenses from the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) for its local subsidiary, the firm revealed in a Monday blog post. According to the announcement, the licenses pave the way for the subsidiary to offer regulated digital asset trading, settlement, and custody services in Germany.

“We are excited that Crypto Finance (Deutschland) GmbH is now licensed by BaFin, the highest benchmark in regulatory oversight, as a crypto custody provider in Germany.”

Crypto Finance Group CEO Stijn Vander Straeten

Deutsche Börse bought a majority stake in the Switzerland-based fintech company in 2021 in a bid to extend its crypto offerings, including post-trade services such as custody. At the time, Thomas Book, an executive board member for Trading & Clearing at Deutsche Börse, highlighted that the investment was prompted by a growing demand from established financial institutions seeking to engage in the emerging asset class. The specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2017 by Jan Brzezek and Tobias Reichmuth, Crypto Finance offers brokerage services of more than 200 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). As of press time, the firm raised over $41 million in four funding rounds joined by Matthias Kroener and Lingfeng Capital as the most recent investors, according to Crunchbase.