365Crypto
Santander’s digital bank Openbank has stepped into crypto. German clients can now trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Polygon, and Cardano directly inside their bank accounts. Spain will follow soon.
The service runs under Europe’s MiCA rules and sits next to Openbank’s usual investment products. No need for third-party apps. It’s crypto, the Santander way.
Coty de Monteverde, head of crypto at Santander, said demand pushed them to move. Openbank, already serving 2 million people across several countries, is aiming to meet that demand.
This isn’t Santander’s first crypto dance. In 2018, it launched One Pay FX, a Ripple-based payments app. The bank has also explored stablecoins and retail crypto services, showing it’s not shy about digital assets.
Germany’s Big Banks Join the Game
Santander’s timing isn’t random. Germany’s financial giants are all moving toward crypto under MiCA. DZ Bank tested a platform across 700 cooperatives. Deutsche Bank plans a digital asset custody service in 2026 with Bitpanda and Taurus. Sparkassen is preparing retail crypto trading for 50 million users by 2026.
Meanwhile, banks in the US — JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America — are also weighing stablecoins and retail crypto after the GENIUS Act passed in 2025.
