Bitcoin Group SE plans to apply for permission to conduct crypto-custody-business within its Group of companies

- Group of companies will expand its position as the leading custodian for crypto-assets in Germany

- Inclusion of futurum bank AG as depositary opens up new potential in the market with institutional clients

Herford, December 16, 2019 - Bitcoin Group SE (ISIN DE000A1TNV91) plans to submit the application for permission to conduct the crypto-custody-business to the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). The application has become necessary within the framework of the Act to Implement the Amendment Directive to the Fourth EU Money Laundering Directive. Accordingly, the crypto-custody-business will be included in the German Banking Act as a new financial service on behalf of customers. With the entry into force of the law on January 1, 2020, BaFin will thus create a unified legal framework and enable banks to offer and hold cryptocurrencies in safe custody.

Bitcoin Group SE, which operates Europe's largest cryptocurrency trading platform with Bitcoin.de, today, already holds the leading position in Germany as a custodian of crypto- assets. Simultaneously with the application for the permission for Bitcoin.de, permission for the 100% Group subsidiary, the futurum bank AG, is also applied for. In this way, the Group will expand its services in the business with institutional customers, which is bundled in futurum bank AG. In the future, Bitcoin Group SE will also be able to act as custodian of crypto-assets for business customers following approval by BaFin. This opens up a wider customer base and additional revenue potential.

"We have a positive attitude towards the crypto-protector arrangement. It offers a number of opportunities that we would like to seize resolutely. On the one hand, it creates a reliable legal framework, which will ensure further trust on the part of our customers. On the other hand, the harmonisation of the BaFin will open up the market to other players such as banks and financial service providers. This can only be beneficial to the spread of cryptocurrencies. We are optimistic that, as a pioneer in the cryptocurrency market, we will benefit from these developments. Therefore, we will apply for the permission for the contribution of the crypto-custody-business also in the entire Group of companies," says the Managing director of Bitcoin Group SE, Marco Bodewein.
 

About Bitcoin Group SE:
Bitcoin Group SE is a holding company focusing on innovative and disruptive business models and technologies in the areas of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain. Bitcoin Group SE holds 100% of the shares in Bitcoin Deutschland AG, which operates Germany's only regulated marketplace for the digital currency Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold and Ethereum under Bitcoin.de and 50% of the shares in Sineus Financial Services GmbH, a financial services provider supervised by BaFin.

Bitcoin Group SE is listed on the Primary Market of Dusseldorf Stock Exchange and on all other German stock exchanges (ticker symbol: ADE, ISIN: DE000A1TNV91, GSIN: A1TNV9). More information on Bitcoin Group SE can be found at www.bitcoingroup.com.

About Bitcoin.de:
Bitcoin.de is a licensed Bitcoin marketplace in Germany and Europe's largest Bitcoin marketplace with more than 800,000 customers. After more than 7.5 years of operation, Bitcoin.de has the reputation of being one of the most secure Bitcoin marketplaces in the world. Since users do not transfer euros to a trust account but pay conveniently from their bank account, the euros used for trading are even deposit-backed. The cryptocurrencies managed by Bitcoin.de, on the other hand, are held 98% in secure cold wallets. Bitcoin.de is the first and only Bitcoin trading platform worldwide to have its customer credit balances audited once a year by a publicly appointed German auditing company (last audit as of October 08 2019). The unique integration with a bank account of the Fidor Bank via express trading allows trading to be carried out as quickly as on a stock exchange. In addition to Bitcoin, on Bitcoin.de Ether (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin Gold (BTG) and Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) can be traded against Euro.

Contact:
Bitcoin Group SE
Marco Bodewein
Nordstraße 14
32051 Herford
mail: [email protected]
phone: +49.5221.69435.20
fax: +49.5221.69435.25
website: www.bitcoingroup.com

Investor Relations contact:
CROSS ALLIANCE communication GmbH
Jens Jüttner
phone: +49.89.1250903-30
mail: [email protected]
website: www.crossalliance.de