SolarisBank and Stuttgart Exchange Group are jointly developing infrastructure for a cryptocurrency exchange, Cointelegraph Germany reports Dec. 12. The Stuttgart Exchange, founded in 1860, is the second-largest stock exchange in Germany and the ninth-largest in Europe. SolarisBank, on the other hand, is a German fintech company established in 2015 that holds a banking license and offers a “Banking as a Platform” service. This news goes along with the plans announced by the exchange in May to release a zero-fee cryptocurrency trading application. The two companies’ crypto exchange, “which is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2019,” will have …

Cryptocurrency hardware wallet firm Ledger has partnered with German crypto startup Neufund to let users manage security tokens via Ledger’s desktop app, according to a press release Dec. 6. Ledger’s collaboration with blockchain-based equity and crypto fundraising platform Neufund aims to develop a framework for security tokens. Ledger Live — a recently launched desktop application for crypto asset management — is reportedly adding an ERC-20 integration “soon.” The app will let users manage security tokens issued via Neufund’s set of protocols. Previously, Neufund teamed up with cryptocurrency exchange BitBay to let investors buy and sell equity tokens with fiat currencies. …

According to a recent survey, over one third of big businesses in Germany consider blockchain technology as revolutionary as the Internet, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported, Dec. 4. In addition to artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of things (IoT), blockchain technology is one of the current three areas of development with “tremendous potential,” the survey reports. Conducted by the German Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (Bitkom), the survey revealed that overall, 15 percent of German companies think blockchain will “change society and the economy as much as the Internet.” Larger companies, with 500 or more employees, …

The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) issued a warning Nov. 29 that a firm called Platin Genesis DCC is not authorized or approved by the proper authorities. In the warning, BaFin states that Platin Genesis was advertising a "Platinum Coin Crypto Fund" on social media, which it claimed was “approved and released by BaFin.” The watchdog clarifies in its statement that this is not true. Per BaFin, the firm does not have permission under section 34 of the German Banking Act to conduct banking activities or offer financial services. The firm is not under BaFin’s supervision. The firm’s token …

German alternative investment fund manager Xolaris Service KVAG has launched a private equity fund dedicated to Bitcoin mining, the company confirmed in a press release Nov. 29. Xolaris, which has undertaken various expansion measures including the opening of a Hong Kong office in July, says client demand to access the sector continues despite the downturn in Bitcoin (BTC) prices. The fund will feature a minimum investment entry of €250,000 ($285,000), with a planned issue volume of between €30 million and €50 million ($34 million - $57 million). “We’ve constantly received requests from professional investors to release a regulated product for …

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is planning to fight tax evasion schemes by using blockchain, German business news outlet WirtschaftsWoche reported Nov. 22. Following the major European tax fraud scheme CumEx-Files, the BMWi has suggested that distributed ledger technology (DLT) is capable of making the tax system more efficient in terms of fraud prevention. Discovered in 2017, the CumEx-Files was a tax fraud scheme that reportedly was used by a network of banks, stock traders and top lawyers to obtain billions from European treasuries through speculation with dividend tax. As a result of the CumEx …

Two energy divisions of German tech giant Siemens have joined a blockchain-driven energy platform to promote the use of decentralized technologies in the sector, according to a press release published Wednesday, Nov. 21. According to Siemens, its Energy Management and Power Generation Services departments are partnering with open-source, scalable blockchain platform Energy Web Foundation (EWF), founded in 2017 to elaborate regulatory, operational, and market solutions for the energy sector. Siemens officials believe that blockchain technology will help increase interoperability in the area, linking consumers with energy producers and network operators, the press release writes. Moreover, the technology could help increase …

German holding company Bitcoin Group SE has acquired a 100 percent stake in investment bank Tremmel Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reports today, Nov. 13. Bitcoin Group SE, based in Herford, Germany, operates what is reportedly the country’s only regulated crypto exchange, Bitcoin Deutschland AG, also referred to by its domain, Bitcoin.de. Upon acquisition of the banking institution, which according to its website focuses on securities trading, the crypto holding will in turn obtain the use of Tremmel’s banking license. As a press release from Bitcoin Group SE states, the banking license will allow the holding to “significantly expand” its …

More than a third of German logistics managers believe that blockchain technology has the potential to significantly improve cooperation in supply chains, according to a Hermes survey published Nov. 12. The survey polled participants on which technologies they believed were important for improving cooperation within the supply chain. 35 percent of respondents recognized the importance of blockchain, while 33 percent said that big data is important. Participants also noted the importance of Cyber-Physical Systems (56 percent) , Enterprise Resource Planning systems (46 percent), and sensor monitoring and data acquisition systems (44 percent). In larger companies — specifically in companies with …

The CEO of Swiss startup SEBA Crypto AG said in an interview that five “large asset managers” from both Germany and abroad have shown interest in their cryptocurrency bank, Swiss financial media outlet Cash reports Nov. 12. Back in September, the company had raised $103 million to set up a bank offering cryptocurrency-related services. At the time, CEO Guido Bühler had noted that the bank sees itself as a bridge between cryptocurrency assets and the traditional financial world. In the November interview, Bühler noted that SEBA Crypto AG expects to receive a banking and securities dealer license from Swiss financial …

The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has ordered partial cessation of activities by U.K.-based crypto-related firm Finatex Ltd., according to an official announcement published on BaFin’s website on Friday, Nov. 9. According to the BaFin’s notice, reportedly dated Oct. 2, Finatex Ltd. is ordered to “immediately” stop offering cross-border proprietary trading on its trading platform, Crypto-Capitals. According to BaFin’s announcement friday, the firm must cease trading since its activity is not approved by German financial legislation, including the German Banking Act. In a short description of the company’s activities, the financial regulator noted that Crypto-Capitals offers “options, contracts for …

More than a quarter of younger Germans is ready to buy cryptocurrencies, according to a recent poll by the German Consumer Centers of Hesse and Saxony published Monday, Nov. 5. Consumer Centers are non-profit, government-backed agencies organized at state level unions. They focus on consumer protection in addition to providing advisory services. The centers of two German federal states, whose populations total over 10 million people, have conducted a joint survey among internet users. According to the local business media Wirtschaftswoche, the survey polled 1,000 Germans between the ages of 18 and 39. More than a half of respondents — …