Bitcoin.de trading remains largely suspended after Germany’s financial regulator rejected an application from futurum bank AG, the platform’s operator, for authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).
Bitcoin Group SE, which owns futurum bank AG, said it is examining another way to operate the platform and is seeking regulated partners that could help restart services. According to Cointelegraph, the company described the BaFin decision as a setback but said it had prepared for the possibility that the application would be refused.
BaFin decision puts planned relaunch on hold
The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, known as BaFin, rejected futurum bank AG’s application to operate as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA. The company said it is reviewing the decision and may either lodge an objection or submit a fresh application at a later stage.
MiCA is the EU’s framework for crypto-asset markets. Among other things, it establishes authorization requirements for businesses providing crypto-related services in the bloc. For bitcoin.de, the authorization was tied to plans to resume trading after a major change to the platform’s operating model.
“ Our priority now is to implement the alternative operating model and to keep our customers transparently informed about the next steps,” Bitcoin Group SE CEO Moritz Eckert said in the company’s Oct. 6 announcement.
The group said it is working to resume trading through regulated partners “as quickly as possible.” It did not provide a date for the return of trading.
Platform has been largely inactive since June
Bitcoin.de is a German crypto trading platform operated by futurum bank AG, a subsidiary of Bitcoin Group SE. The company says the platform has more than 1.1 million registered users.
It began as a peer-to-peer marketplace, matching customers who wanted to buy crypto with those seeking to sell. This year, the platform was revamped to function as a brokerage. The planned version was expected to offer more than 100 cryptocurrencies, along with crypto swaps and staking, and was scheduled for launch in late June.
That launch was postponed while futurum bank awaited the MiCA authorization. Trading activities have largely been suspended since June 12. In an August update, bitcoin.de said customer crypto holdings had been transferred to new custody infrastructure and that its previous trading system had been switched off.
The latest announcement leaves the company assessing whether a partnership-based model can restore services while it considers its regulatory options.
Current crypto market picture
Moneyiar market data at 10:14 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2026, showed Bitcoin at $83,798.550327785, down 2.69% over 24 hours but up 0.11% over seven days.
- Compound (COMP): $23.3740441915, down 4.37% in 24 hours and 7.57% over seven days.
- Four (FORM): $0.2704064401, down 3.22% in 24 hours and 6.93% over seven days.
- Altlayer (ALT): $0.0073874362, down 7.48% in 24 hours and 5.17% over seven days.
