Germany extends MiCA lead as six more banks secure crypto licenses

Germany has increased its lead in the EU’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) licensing regime, adding six cooperative banks to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) register. The country now has 79 authorized crypto‑asset service providers (CASPs), the highest count in the bloc.

New German CASPs

The six newly authorized institutions are:

• Raiffeisenbank Aidlingen
• Ihre Volksbank
• VR Bank Mittelfranken Mitte
• Volksbank Euskirchen
• VR Bank Ried Überwald
• Volksbank Backnang

These additions raise the EU total of authorized CASPs to 331.

Germany’s comparative position

With 79 CASPs, Germany holds more than twice the number of authorizations of France (35) and leads the Netherlands (29). The German count has risen from 57 in late June, reflecting an addition of 22 providers since that snapshot.

Broader MiCA landscape

ESMA’s other MiCA registers remain unchanged: the asset‑referenced token register stays empty, the electronic‑money token register holds 43 entries, and the non‑compliant entity list remains at 167.

Cooperative banks and retail crypto access

Germany’s cooperative banking sector is expanding direct crypto services for retail customers. DZ Bank, approved by BaFin in January, has begun rolling out its "meinKrypto" platform through participating cooperative banks, supporting Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Cardano, with custody provided by Boerse Stuttgart Digital.

Regulatory context

BaFin attributes Germany’s strong MiCA performance to the size of its financial sector and the pre‑existing national framework for crypto custody, which allowed many providers to transition to the EU regime via simplified procedures. MiCA entered full application at the end of 2024, with transitional arrangements ending on 1 July 2026.