Deutsche Bank said Wednesday that it will debut a bitcoin custody service for European corporate and institutional clients this year, with the launch subject to the completion of the applicable regulatory timeline.

The announcement by Germany’s largest lender places it among a growing group of major banks worldwide moving into crypto custody. Over the past 18 months, BNY Mellon, State Street, Standard Chartered, U.S. Bank, and Citigroup have all either launched or committed to direct crypto custody. Custody — the safeguarding of clients’ digital assets — has served as a common entry point for traditional banks building out digital-asset offerings, since it gives institutional clients a way to hold assets within a regulated framework.

“Digital assets are not a replacement for the traditional financial system but an important complement to it,” said Gerald Podobnik, Co-Head Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank, in a statement. “We see them as new rails that can coexist with existing market infrastructures while benefiting from the trust, security and safeguards that regulated financial institutions provide. Our aim is to offer clients a secure and regulated gateway to this evolving market. The service will be further developed in line with client demand, regulatory requirements and the bank’s risk appetite.”

The bank added that the offering will support a “selected range of digital assets” beyond bitcoin, including stablecoins. “The range of supported assets may be expanded over time, subject to client demand and the bank’s product-approval, risk management and regulatory processes,” a statement said. “Tokenized financial instruments are also included in the roadmap.” The near-term details to watch are how quickly the applicable regulatory process concludes and which assets make up the initial supported range.

News of the plans first emerged in 2025, when a report said the German banking giant would integrate Bitpanda’s custody infrastructure while working with Taurus to build the solution for corporate and institutional clients.

Deutsche Bank’s move follows a similar step by Citi, which said just last month that it would debut a bitcoin custody service this year, allowing institutional investors to custody both traditional assets and bitcoin within one framework rather than needing separate systems.

The full announcement is available on Deutsche Bank’s official website. This report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Mathew Di Salvo.