Meanwhile, Germany is also attempting to abolish a tax break for long-term coin investments and is facing resistance, forcing the government to delay the plan. Germany is establishing itself as the leader in terms of new authorizations under the Old Continent’s now fully enforced Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation. The Federal Republic is issuing more licenses in accordance with the current rules than any other EU member state, local crypto media revealed, citing official stats.

In the third quarter alone, 42 organizations received approvals, the BTC Echo website reported on Wednesday, quoting a new report from FinPlanet. That compares to a total of 72 across all of Europe, according to the survey, which was released by the digital-asset management consulting and compliance firm this week. Europe’s economic powerhouse and major cryptocurrency market accounted for more than half of all new authorizations in the region, the analysis shows.

Germany issues most MiCA licenses to banks

The latter was based on data sourced from Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). It’s worth noting that all but one of the newly licensed entities are banking institutions. Among them are a number of cooperative banks, remarked the crypto news outlet. Germany’s Deutsche Bank is in the group as well. The Frankfurt-headquartered banking and financial services giant obtained its regulatory approval under MiCA last month.

Out of a total of 100 companies registered as crypto service providers (CASPs), 65 are banks, according to FinPlanet’s CASP Radar report covering Q3 of 2026. German regulators authorized 58 institutions during the previous quarter. Another 120, licensed in other EU nations, will be able to operate in the Bundesrepublik, too. The EU’s MiCA regulation was passed by the European Parliament in April 2023 and formally adopted by the Council in mid-May of the same year.

The comprehensive framework for digital assets and operations officially entered into force on June 29, 2023, with its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. However, it took another three years for the law to enter into full effect as it was rolled out in several stages, including for stablecoins and other asset-backed tokens as well as CASPs in 2024. A transitional period allowing national governments in member states to transpose the legislation into domestic law and apply the pan-European rules ended on July 1, 2026.

Since that date, all providers of crypto-related services in the European Economic Area (EEA), including the non-EU states Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, must hold a MiCA license. During the studied period, the number of licensed entities rose to 363; growth in new authorizations has slowed significantly, from 105 in the second quarter. Besides, not all are granted regulatory approvals, as was the recent case with Bitcoin.de, one of the oldest and largest coin trading platforms in Germany and Europe.

Earlier in October, BaFin rejected the MiCA application filed by its operator, futurum bank AG, part of Bitcoin Group SE. The future remains uncertain for the crypto marketplace, which serves more than 1 million users. Over the past years, crypto investors have enjoyed favorable treatment in Germany, including a tax break for gains from investments in digital assets held for more than a year. Indications that the federal government in Berlin intends to scrap the exemption for long-term cryptocurrency investments have been mounting this year.

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The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bielefeld, Germany, has seized approximately €10.1 million ($11.4 million) from Ignatova’s assets. Efforts to that end have been successful, the office announced on Monday, quoted by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) news agency. The money came from the sale of two apartments in London and will be used to compensate Ruja’s victims, German prosecutors also detailed. A luxury penthouse and an adjacent flat in the British capital’s Kensington district, valued at £12.5 – £13.5 million, had been acquired through shell firms.

Germany believes properties were purchased with criminal proceeds

Authorities in Germany believe that the properties were purchased with criminal proceeds from the activities of the $4.5 billion cryptocurrency scam OneCoin that she co-founded and operated. Both hit the market in early 2023 at the request of the Bielefeld prosecutor’s office, after Ruja Ignatova was declared the owner of the property in the affluent neighborhood. This summer, a court in Guernsey, where the formal owners were based, made a decision.

In the hearing, it was determined that another £8.59 million held by Ignatova in a bank account on the island should be seized, too. These funds were also slated for return to the Federal Republic, where they will be used for further compensation of investors defrauded by the Cryptoqueen’s notorious pyramid structure. OneCoin was founded in 2014 and functioned as a multi-level-marketing network with global reach, pitching a fake cryptocurrency with the same name, which was advertised as a “Bitcoin killer.”

More than 3 million people are believed to have put money into the massive Ponzi scheme, based on the company’s own stats, with total investments exceeding $4 billion by the last quarter of 2016. Ruja Ignatova, who holds a German passport, was last seen in late 2017 when she boarded a flight for Athens from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where she was born. She disappeared shortly after the United States issued a warrant for her arrest and is now wanted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Europol and Interpol.

Despite occasional reports of her whereabouts, including some suggesting Ruja may still be in Greece, she hasn’t been found yet, dead or alive, and the manhunt continues. The so-called Cryptoqueen is largely considered the mastermind of OneCoin, one of the largest frauds in crypto history, but she wasn’t the only one who orchestrated the project. The scam’s co-founder, Karl Sebastian Greenwood, a citizen of Sweden and Britain, was arrested in 2018. He pleaded guilty in 2022 and got 20 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering.

Ignatova’s brother, Konstantin, who took over after her disappearance, was eventually detained in 2019 in the U.S., where he pleaded guilty to Onecoin-related charges while seeking witness protection. In September 2025, German prosecutors filed charges against Ignatova. The move sought to prevent the alleged offenses from becoming time-barred, the DPA reminded in its report. “The offences for which she is charged will reach the statute of limitations in 2031,” the German news agency highlighted this week, noting the charges include building a pyramid scheme.

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The executive power in Berlin has approved a new requirement for cryptocurrency firms to collect and file user info with the tax authority in Germany. The data will be submitted annually to the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) and automatically exchanged with similar bodies in other countries. The new tax reporting obligation was announced by the Ministry of Finance, the leading German crypto news outlet BTC Echo unveiled on Thursday.

Germany issues new crypto-related tax directive to crypto platforms

In a post on X the previous day, the department indicated the goal was to increase the transparency of tax-relevant transactions involving digital assets. The immediate effect for crypto users in Germany will be that the state will no longer rely solely on tax returns to learn about their activities, but also on reports from regulated market participants.

The decision made by Germany is part of a comprehensive package of measures meant to improve and expand the exchange of tax information to cover digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. It will apply not only to transactions through crypto exchanges and service providers but also to other fintech platforms and financial accounts as well. All of them will be required to report clients’ revenues to the tax authority in Germany, which will then share the data with counterpart agencies in other EU member states.

In turn, it will receive intelligence on German income generated abroad. The finance ministry also noted that a new supplementary agreement will enable this kind of exchange with relevant authorities in countries outside the European Union. The update in the tax reporting rules will further increase the regulatory pressure on the blockchain industry in the Bundesrepublik, BTC Echo remarked in its article.

Following the implementation of European regulations such as the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) law and the DAC8 directive, which entered into force this year, officials are now shifting focus toward tracing digital currency flows. Licensed crypto service providers will now have to properly prepare for the additional reporting procedures, while clients can expect their transactions to become much more visible to tax authorities. On a positive note, a tax benefit for cryptocurrency owners recently survived an attempt to remove it in the German parliament, as reported by Cryptopolitan earlier in May.

A bill put forward by the Green party, which is targeting a tax exemption for long-term digital-asset investments, was rejected by other factions in the Bundestag. Capital gains from the selling of cryptocurrencies more than a year after purchase are tax-free in Germany, and the proposal sought to abolish the “holding period” rule. The future of this particular tax relief remains uncertain, however, as political support for its removal is growing in Berlin.

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Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., announced that it will invest roughly €5.5 billion ($6.4 billion) in Germany’s cloud and data center infrastructure over the coming years. One new center is slated for Dietzenbach, near Frankfurt, while an existing facility in Hanau is set to be enlarged.

Google set to focus on its business in Germany

Germany is a strong location for cloud and digital services in Europe. Expanding there will help Google serve nearby customers faster and more directly. The company is focusing on using clean energy and advanced technologies like artificial intelligence in its expansion. For Germany, the investment will possibly create jobs and boost the local tech ecosystem.

Despite the size of the investment, Google has yet to share details regarding the timeline or exact nature of the entire project. It’s expected that the increase in data center infrastructure will intensify the competition in the European cloud market, where companies such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and others are also expanding.

The investment also comes ahead of a scheduled press conference in Berlin, where the German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is expected to speak. Interested parties are keeping an eye out for the rollout schedule and details about when each facility will become operational and how the investment phases are structured. The eventual number of jobs created is also a matter of interest. As well as whether or not Google will source its construction and services locally, and whether the German government attaches any conditions to the project.

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According to Arkham Intelligence, the site creators had another stash of 45,000 BTC, currently valued at nearly $5B, revealing addresses the German government did not discover. Presently, there is no legal move to claim the BTC. Earlier, the founders of the piracy site voluntarily transferred 48,898 BTC to new wallets controlled by law enforcement. The German government sold some of the BTC due to the potential volatility and the risk of losses, skipping one of the biggest BTC bull markets in late 2024 and 2025.

German government misses old Movie2K BTC wallet

Two years after the transfers, the Movie2K wallet cluster still contained $4.99B in value, spread across multiple connected wallets. Arkham tracked down the cluster based on connections to the German Government wallets. According to Arkham, the cluster contains 100 connected wallets, which have not moved their holdings since 2019.

Movie2K was active until 2013, and the BTC was acquired as a way to move the proceeds from running the piracy site. Over time, the relatively small payments were turned into a significant treasury. For now, it remains uncertain if all wallets are accessible and if the funds can also be claimed.

As of July 2024, Movie2K was still under investigation, with authorities giving no further details. The first tranche of BTC was voluntarily sent by the two suspects, a German male, 40, and a Polish male, 37, at the time of the arrests. All involved persons from Movie2K received suspended sentences, but have not touched the BTC even after their trial.

None of the sentences targeted crypto ownership as such and were applied for copyright infringement and money laundering. In addition, the case remains open, and the new information may mean the Dresden prosecutor’s office is facing another dilemma about becoming a large-scale BTC holder. The case was assisted by the US FBI, as well as by a Munich-based IT company.

Governments have remained some of the biggest passive holders of BTC, with a reported 525,364 BTC in total. With the latest inflows, Germany would line up just behind Ukraine with replenished BTC holdings. If transferred, the 45,000 BTC could turn into a potential source of selling. However, the market has managed to absorb the tokens, and Germany’s move did not have lasting damage. Instead, it made the BTC market more confident after easily absorbing even large-scale whale holdings.

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The talks would be the first direct ones since Israel announced a 12-day military offensive on Iran, which briefly dragged in the United States. The pressure is on the E3, the group made up of Britain, France, and Germany, to decide whether to trigger the snapback mechanism, a clause from the collapsed 2015 nuclear deal. If invoked, the clause would automatically reimpose UN sanctions on Iran.

Europe to offer conditions that hinge on talks and IAEA access

The deal in 2015 crumbled after United States President Donald Trump ditched it during his first term, then announced sanctions that hit Iran’s economy. Iran responded by increasing its nuclear activity. According to diplomats, the E3 will propose a few more months of breathing room before they consider the snapback, pushing the sanctions deadline beyond the current mid-September window.

This is just one month before the October 18 expiration of some key clauses in the original nuclear agreement. But this extension doesn’t come free. Iran would have to agree to restart negotiations with the Trump administration and begin some form of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “If Iran comes to the table and works with inspectors, we hold off. If not, sanctions are back on,” one diplomat said.

The extension itself would require a new UN Security Council resolution. That’s a whole other political headache, but Europe is more interested in diplomacy than escalation. Meanwhile, Iran warned the UN that if sanctions return, the country is prepared to walk away from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). That would be a big step, as Iran has already frozen ties with the IAEA, especially after Israel and America hit Iranian nuclear sites during the war.

Still, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday that a new IAEA team would be arriving in Tehran soon to talk about “a new modality” for cooperation. He added, though, that this didn’t mean inspectors would get access to nuclear sites. While Europe waits, Iran has been busy holding separate talks with Russia and China, the other two original parties to the 2015 nuclear deal. These meetings happened in Tehran this week, but so far, nothing public has come out.

Iran and the US had been holding indirect talks since April, but those discussions froze after Israel launched airstrikes that killed several top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists. That attack shook the regime and deepened mistrust of the US. Trump’s position has remained unchanged. This week, he mentioned that he is in no rush to reopen talks with Iran, noting that all their nuclear sites have been destroyed.

“It’s Tehran that needs to come back,” he said. But IAEA analysts warn that Iran could be back enriching uranium again “in a matter of months.” This is no small matter, considering Iran is yet to explain where over 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium are gone. That amount of uranium is enough to make several nuclear weapons, and officials feel it may have been hidden before the Israeli strikes.

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However, one cannot get too excited considering the fact that Germany is one of the countries where rules and regulations are their bread and butter. BaFin has granted a total of 11 crypto custodial licenses, with most going to native crypto companies like the crypto division of Hauck Aufhäuser Lampe Privatbank.

DekaBank secures a strong custodial approval

The custodial license granted to DekaBank falls under the same traditional regulations as Commerzbank, giving them a legitimacy that most smaller crypto firms do not have. This is also not its first rodeo with a regulatory license this year, earning a crypto securities registrar license in July. This means it can issue digital securities based on a blockchain without a central securities depository.

The license removes the middlemen, a known trait of the crypto industry. DekaBank is also one of the founding members of the blockchain platform designed to issue digital securities known as SWIAT. The financial institution onboarded giants like Standard Chartered and LBBW, opening SWIAT up for Siemens to issue a €300 million digital bond in September.

Germany’s regulatory framework at a glance

Germany has been discussing the replacement of its old crypto rules with the new MiCA framework, a move that is yet to happen because of the political turmoil in the country. The rule passed on December 18, enabling licensed firms like DekaBank to provide their services across the European Union. Before the rules were put in place, the lack of regulatory clarity was worrying for banks.

However, the country’s slow regulatory movement also comes with its advantages, with the country recognizing digital assets as financial instruments in 2013. In 2020, it made the work of BaFin easier when it asked crypto exchanges to undergo a mandatory test for a license. While most countries are battling with clarity, Germany is at the forefront. Although slow, it helps and everybody is happy.

However, the crypto population is still concerned about security, with about 82% respondents of in a recent survey noting that it is the first feature that they look out for. It is the same for the wider crypto population globally, especially with the increasing cases of hacks and platform breaches over the last few months. In addition, the country’s crypto population tilt towards Bitcoin, and Ethereum, with Solana gaining ground.

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The difference between the previous price and this present one is the 53% surge the asset witnessed in the last two months. The rally, pushed by Donald Trump’s recent victory in the United States elections has driven the asset close to $90,000. According to Polymarket odds, Bitcoin hitting $100,000 by the end of the year is placed at 62%.

Germany’s Bitcoin sale regret

According to reports, most sold tokens were connected to the Movie2k criminal case. German law permits authorities to sell assets when their value moves by 10%. However, Bitcoin’s surge has underscored the need to examine the law.

The assets were seized from pirated movie website Movie2k.co in January, with the price of one BTC at $43,000. Presently, Bitcoin has crossed that value, pushing towards $88,000.

During the period, German MP Joana Cotar discussed the likelihood of the United States using Bitcoin as a reserve asset. She suggested that European countries may soon be considering the same thing. With the recent development, it brings to mind how volatile the crypto market can be during certain periods.

The recent surge has been credited to Donald Trump’s re-election, with optimism about favorable regulations flooding the space. Aside from digital assets, assets linked to Bitcoin and stocks like the S&P 500 are also on a high. It remains to be seen how long the rally can last.

El Salvador becomes one of the biggest winners

El Salvador, like many other countries, has been tilting towards Bitcoin over the last few years. In 2021, El Salvador announced the adoption of Bitcoin as a legal tender, signaling a first in the world. The decision, at the time, sparked a lot of debate. However, the country’s bet has now paid off. The government has about 6,100 BTC worth $510 million, with its profit presently around $24.5 million.

The profit is also a win for President Nayib Bukele, who stuck to his Bitcoin belief despite several talks and issues. In November, the country announced plans to commit resources to acquire one Bitcoin per day. Aside from its Bitcoin foray, the country has also enjoyed several investments. This includes a $1.6 billion seaport deal, making it the largest private investment in its history.

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According to the survey, half the respondents were willing to use the digital euro as an additional payment method. This openness was noted even among those unfamiliar with the concept. However, only 41% of participants had received any information about the digital euro, leaving 59% in the dark. Privacy was a major concern, with over 75% prioritizing privacy protection.

Survey Highlights Privacy Concerns

Privacy issues are reminiscent of those faced with China’s digital yuan, where recipients often convert the digital currency to cash immediately. To mitigate these concerns, the digital euro’s planned offline version aims to offer privacy protections similar to those of cash. Joachim Nagel, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, assured that central banks in the Eurosystem prioritize protecting user privacy more effectively than current commercial payment options.

The survey also indicated that 72% of respondents believe the digital euro should be developed on a European infrastructure to ensure independence from global political influences. There were misconceptions among respondents, with 15% thinking the digital euro would replace cash and 12% believing cash would be phased out. Burkhard Balz, an Executive Board member of the Deutsche Bundesbank, clarified that cash would remain a fundamental offering of the bank.

Timeline and Development

The digital euro initiative, launched by the European Central Bank (ECB) in July 2021, aims to create a secure electronic payment system that complements existing euro forms. After two years of research into its design and distribution, the ECB moved into the next preparation phase in October 2023. This phase will continue until October 2025, when further decisions will be made. According to President Nagel, the digital euro is anticipated to launch between 2028 and 2029, with a strong focus on privacy protection.

The post Germans Open to Digital Euro Despite Limited Knowledge first appeared on Coinfea.

Daniel Seifert, Vice President and Regional Managing Director, EMEA at Coinbase, indicated that the decision was influenced by Germany’s clear regulatory environment and its strong commitment to tech innovation. He said, “Germany’s Web3 ecosystem and its deep pool of developer talent are particularly promising as we aim to extend our product offerings across Europe.”

Moreover, Nana Murugesan, Vice President of International and Business Development at Coinbase, noted that the European share of Web3 developers is rising, mainly due to firms migrating from the United States. Germany, he added, is Coinbase’s second-largest international market, making it an ideal choice for a regional talent hub.

Subheading 2: Future Plans Unveiled for Coinbase’s European Market Strategy

In addition to the German announcement, Coinbase revealed that it would be making further operational and staffing decisions across key European markets. Over the next two weeks, the company plans to roll out a series of announcements targeting Ireland, Benelux, the Nordics, Spain, and Italy. These are part of Coinbase’s Phase II ‘Go Broad, Go Deep’ market strategy, aimed at cementing the company’s presence in important European territories.

Furthermore, data indicates that Germany accounts for a significant percentage of European blockchain deals. The country’s blockchain sector has received $355 million in venture capital funding this year, in addition to accounting for 2.4% of global blockchain funding and 2.5% of global deals. Germany’s 83 million-strong population also presents a significant market for Coinbase, with over 6% reportedly invested in cryptocurrencies.

Besides serving as a talent hub, the German operation will also play a crucial role in localizing Coinbase’s products for the European market. The emphasis on local talent and regulatory compliance puts Coinbase in a strong position to tap into the increasing European demand for crypto services.

The focus on Germany aligns well with broader trends in the cryptocurrency market. As more people and institutions adopt digital assets, key markets like Germany will likely continue to play a central role in shaping the industry’s future.

It’s clear that Coinbase’s European strategy, encapsulated in its ‘Go Broad, Go Deep’ initiative, is being meticulously executed. Germany’s designation as a Regional Talent Hub is more than just a title; it’s a strategic move by Coinbase to capitalize on the available opportunities and solidify its position as a global leader in the crypto space.

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