German regulators handed banks about 41 of Europe's 72 MiCA approvals in the third quarter
German regulators issued 42 of the 72 MiCA authorizations granted across Europe in the third quarter, according to FinPlanet. All but one went to banks, yet the 65 banks in FinPlanet's count are under a fifth of the 363 licensed entities.
The Investor · Invest desk
Key figures: 105 new authorizations in the second quarter, then 72 approvals across Europe in the third quarter. German regulators authorized 58 institutions in the previous quarter and issued 42 approvals in the third quarter; reports vary from 41 to 42.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| New authorizations, second quarter | 105 authorizations | 7 | |
| Europe, third quarter | 72 approvals | 3 | |
| Germany, prior quarter | 58 institutions | 6 | |
| German approvals, third quarter | 42 approvals | reports vary: 41–42 | 3 |
What happened
- Deutsche Bank, the Frankfurt-based lender, obtained its own MiCA approval last month and is on the list of bank licensees.
- Approvals across Europe slowed from 105 in the second quarter, and German regulators had authorized 58 institutions in that quarter.
- The MiCA transitional period ended on July 1, 2026, and every crypto service provider in the European Economic Area must now hold a licence.
- BaFin rejected the MiCA application of futurum bank AG, the operator of the Bitcoin.de marketplace, earlier in October.
Why it matters
- contradiction Counted by the quarter's flow, banks are the main route into EU crypto. Counted by the licensed register, they are a minority, so the claim holds or fails depending on which count a reader trusts.
- constraint A firm that is not a bank got one German approval out of 42 in the quarter, so its route to German customers runs through a licence from another member state.
- exposure Bitcoin.de's more than 1 million users are on a marketplace whose future the report calls uncertain after BaFin turned down its operator.
Strip the one non-bank from Germany's 42 third-quarter approvals [2][4] and 41 bank licences remain [12], or 57% of the 72 issued across Europe in the quarter [3][13]. The figures are FinPlanet's, built on data from BaFin and ESMA and relayed by BTC Echo [11].
On the register, banks are a minority. FinPlanet counts 65 banks among 100 registered providers [19], and if those 65 sit inside the 363 licensed entities across Europe [20], banks are at most 18% of the whole [22]. The report as relayed does not say whose 100 that is. German approvals of 58 in the second quarter [6] plus 42 in the third make exactly 100 [23]. On that reading, 24 of the earlier 58 were banks, about 41%, against 41 of 42, about 98%, in the third [24]. A queue of crypto-native applicants clearing before the July 1 deadline [10] would produce the same fall in non-bank share with no change in bank behaviour.
Both counts fell. Europe's approvals dropped 31%, from 105 to 72 [7][3][14], and Germany's dropped 28%, from 58 to 42 [15], so Germany's share edged up from 55% to 58% [16]. The German route is also shared with other regulators. Another 120 providers licensed in other member states can operate in Germany [21]. If the 100 is Germany's, 55% of the 220 providers able to serve German customers hold a licence from elsewhere [25].
In our view the claim holds for Germany's quarterly flow and not yet for the European register. It fails if the next quarter shows German bank approvals falling well below 41. It also fails if the third-quarter approvals outside Germany prove to be mostly crypto-native firms. In that case the other member states are the main route for them, and Germany's banks are one route among several.
What to watch
- FinPlanet's next CASP Radar: whether German bank approvals stay near 41 a quarter and lift banks above a fifth of the European register.
- Who received the third-quarter approvals outside Germany; the relayed report does not break them down by type of firm.
- Berlin's decision on the Finance Ministry draft that would tax all crypto profits at 25% regardless of holding period, which the government reportedly postponed.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence42
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+8
- Incentives
- Insufficient
- Confidence50
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
Germany is issuing more licences under MiCA than any other EU member state, according to local crypto media citing official statistics.
- [2]
In the third quarter alone, 42 organizations in Germany received MiCA approvals, BTC Echo reported, quoting a report from FinPlanet.
- [3]
The 42 German approvals compare with a total of 72 across all of Europe in the quarter, according to the FinPlanet survey.
- [4]
All but one of the newly licensed entities are banking institutions, among them a number of cooperative banks, the crypto news outlet said.
- [5]
Deutsche Bank, headquartered in Frankfurt, obtained its MiCA regulatory approval last month.
- [6]
German regulators authorized 58 institutions during the previous quarter.
- [7]
Growth in new authorizations has slowed significantly, from 105 in the second quarter.
- [8]
Earlier in October, BaFin rejected the MiCA application filed by futurum bank AG, the operator of Bitcoin.de and part of Bitcoin Group SE.
- [9]
The future remains uncertain for the Bitcoin.de marketplace, which serves more than 1 million users.
- [10]
The transitional period for MiCA ended on July 1, 2026; since then all crypto-related service providers in the European Economic Area must hold a MiCA licence.
- [11]
The analysis behind the figures was based on data from BaFin and ESMA, as reported by BTC Echo quoting FinPlanet's report.
- [12]
If all but one of Germany's 42 third-quarter approvals went to banks, 41 went to banks.
- [13]
The 41 German bank approvals are about 57% of the 72 approvals issued across Europe in the third quarter.
- [14]
European approvals fell about 31% from the second quarter to the third.
- [15]
German approvals fell about 28% from the second quarter to the third.
- [16]
Germany's share of European approvals rose from about 55% in the second quarter to about 58% in the third.
- [17]
A Finance Ministry bill aims to impose a 25% capital gains tax on all crypto trading profits regardless of holding period, as Cryptopolitan reported in September.
- [18]
The government in Berlin reportedly postponed a decision to scrap the crypto tax exemption, as the plan faces resistance.
- [19]
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 2026.
- [20]
The number of licensed entities rose to 363 in the studied period.
- [21]
Another 120 providers, licensed in other EU nations, will be able to operate in Germany.
- [22]
If the 65 banks sit inside the 363 licensed entities, banks are at most about 18% of the European register.
- [23]
German approvals of 58 in the second quarter plus 42 in the third sum to 100, matching the 100 registered CASPs in FinPlanet's count.
- [24]
If the 100 is the sum of 58 and 42, banks were 24 of the 58 second-quarter German approvals (about 41%) against 41 of 42 (about 98%) in the third quarter.
- [25]
If the 100 registered CASPs are German, about 55% of the 220 providers able to serve German customers are licensed in other member states.
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Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- cryptopolitan.comGermany leads approvals as banks push into crypto under MiCA regime
1 article · October 14, 2026
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