Deutsche Bank plans to expand its institutional crypto custody service to Asia in 2027 and will launch it in Germany within weeks, the bank's corporate bank co-head told Reuters.

The Frankfurt-based lender received authorization from Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework on October 12, according to the European Securities and Markets Authority's interim register. The German rollout remains subject to regulatory approval.

The custody platform will initially support bitcoin, ether and the stablecoins USDC, EURC and EURAU. Deutsche Bank will manage clients' wallets and private keys directly, giving corporate and institutional clients a way to hold and transfer crypto assets without operating their own custody infrastructure.

What else is on the roadmap?

Beyond raw custody, the bank plans stablecoin conversion services, tokenized deposits and support for clients issuing digital bonds and other blockchain-based securities. The co-head, Podobnik, told Reuters the digital-asset push forms part of a broader target of roughly 8% compound annual revenue growth in Deutsche Bank's corporate bank from 2025 to 2028.

The bank has built its custody plans with two partners: Austrian exchange operator Bitpanda and Swiss custody technology firm Taurus.

Why does the Asia move matter?

A 2027 Asian launch would extend the service beyond Europe and give institutional clients in the region access to crypto through an established global bank rather than a standalone crypto-native provider. It's not yet clear which Asian markets the bank will target first.

Deutsche Bank is not moving alone. Standard Chartered and Spain's BBVA already offer crypto custody, and banks across the sector are positioning for a larger role in managing digital assets for institutions as the regulatory perimeter firms up.

For the bank, the operational logic is straightforward: custody, tokenized deposits and digital bond issuance are fee-generating services that slot into its existing corporate banking relationships. MiCA authorization, granted in October, gives it a passportable European license to build from.

The German launch, expected within weeks pending approval, will be the first test of demand. The Asia expansion follows in 2027 if the European business performs.

Reported by Daniel Okafor.