The richest country in Europe is coming round to crypto. That’s according to a report by KuCoin which shared some flattering statistics towards the future of crypto in Deutschland. Notably, 44% of Germans are “motivated to invest in cryptocurrencies to be a part of ‘the future of finance’”; while over a third, “37% of German crypto investors have been trading cryptocurrencies for over a year.” Cointelegraph had previously picked up on crypto’s impressive and productive year in Germany, but it’s crucial to check the sentiment toward crypto on the ground. Johnny Lyu, CEO of KuCoin–the company publishing the report–explained to …

German GT racer Laura-Marie Geissler, creative agency Amsterdam Berlin and NFT startup Unblocked partnered up to launch the first nonfungible token, or NFT, funded motorsport team. Named after the driver herself, the LMG racing team has decided to forgo external sponsors to fund Geissler’s race season by way of NFT sales. Whether she earns the necessary amount to race or not in the upcoming season will depend solely on her fans. Geissler and her partners originally announced their campaign during the first weekend of South by Southwest, or SXSW, in Austin, Texas to in-person visitors of the Porsche Unseen installation …

According to recent media reports, six European countries, led by Germany, are working on launching an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) body that will include the cryptocurrency market in its purview. Details remain scarce, but it is known that the initiative involves Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The group is working on “the remit and design” of a new international AML watchdog force that will have a particular emphasis on crypto, and the European Commission — the key executive institution of the European Union — will be the primary platform for the discussion. How will the move affect the …

An interesting year has come to an end for the crypto industry in Germany. Although blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies have not yet found wide acceptance in the country, more and more domestic institutions and investors are becoming interested in the crypto world thanks to legal clarity. Here, we’ll look back at the most important developments in the German blockchain and cryptocurrency industries in 2021. Securities law reform to embrace blockchain In terms of legal challenges, German legislators have increasingly been taking a lead role and 2021 was no exception. Since June 2021, the Electronic Securities Act (Gesetz über elektronische Wertpapiere) …

Founded by BitMEX Group CEO Alexander Höptner and CFO Stephan Lutz, BXM Operations AG announced today its plans to acquire Bankhaus von der Heydt, one of the oldest banks in Europe, to create a regulated crypto one-stop-shop in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Dietrich von Boetticher, the owner of the German bank, and BXM have already signed a purchase agreement. However, it still requires the approval of BaFin, the German financial services regulatory authority. The purchase is expected to be complete by mid-2022. According to the announcement, the company’s objective is to expand its operations in Europe. Following the launch of …

German neobank N26, one of the biggest European fintechs with over $9 billion in valuation, is finally ready to tackle crypto and equities trading after striving for a global expansion. Despite being an early player in the financial technology boom across Europe, the Berlin-based online bank N26’s global ambitions induced a setback in its diversification of services, N26 co-founder and co-CEO Max Tayenthal said in an FT interview. After exiting two critical fintech markets, the United States and the United Kingdom, N26 plans to “sharpen its focus on its European business” by introducing new products and services to its 7 …

German savings banks are reportedly planning to allow customers to invest in major digital currencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) directly from checking accounts. Savings banks in German-speaking countries, also known as Sparkassen, are working on a pilot to launch an in-house cryptocurrency wallet and exchange next year, local business magazine Capital reported Dec. 13. The pilot project is subject to approval by Sparkasse committees early next year, while the banking association aims to develop related services at the beginning of 2022. An expert group from German IT service provider S-Payment is reportedly designing the concept for the project. …

Soon after dropping a filing for a Bitcoin (BTC) futures exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States, asset manager Invesco is launching a spot BTC exchange-traded note (ETN) in Europe. On Nov. 29, German stock market operator Deutsche Boerse officially announced the listing of the Invesco Physical Bitcoin ETN on its digital stock exchange, Xetra. The new product will trade under the ticker symbol BTIC. Admitted to the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the new ETN product is physically backed by Bitcoin and is centrally cleared via Eurex Clearing. “Through central clearing, investors benefit from significantly reduced risks …

The new German government has cited crypto in its coalition agreement, advocating for an equal playing field between traditional finance and “innovative business models.” Three German political parties agreed to a coalition deal this week that will see left-leaning Social Democrats (SDP), the Green Party and the right-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) take the reins from December this year. According to a rough translation of the 177-page agreement published on Nov 24, the coalition calls for a new “dynamic in relation to the opportunities and risks from new financial innovations” such as crypto assets and blockchain businesses: “We are making European …

European central banks ramp up their efforts to utilize distributed ledger technology (DLT), the foundation of blockchain, in central bank money settlements. Banca d’Italia and Deutsche Bundesbank, central banks of Italy and Germany, respectively, joined forces to work on settlements in central bank money of DLT-based asset exchanges. The official announcement stressed that the primary goal of the joint workshop was not to use DLT as a replacement for conventional systems. Instead, the initiative aims to complement the current central bank money settlement practices with a programmable trigger mechanism that connects the DLT-based asset, like a tokenized security, and cash …

The use of new technologies such as blockchain or artificial intelligence has been in the spotlight lately and gaining more acceptance from governments around the world. On Sunday, Sept. 26, Germans voted in parliamentary elections that marked the end of Angela Merkel’s 16 years in office. Since 2005, Germany has experienced deep crises, but also unprecedented prosperity. Merkel’s departure creates a power vacuum, but it also creates the chance for a new beginning — with the crypto sector being no exception. But what might this new beginning look like, and what are German parties planning to do to help the …

German financial regulators have approved a security token offering (STO) based on a Bitcoin (BTC) sidechain. Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) has greenlighted the EXOeu token by game publisher Exordium, making local retail investors eligible to participate in the sale on Stokr, a major European digital marketplace. German investors can invest in EXOeu via Stokr with a minimum investment amount of $100. EXOeu is the second STO ever approved for the German market on Stokr after BaFin approved an STO by parking network ParkinGO last year. Launched in January 2021, the EXOeu security token is raising funds for the …