21Shares partners with German brokerage to offer crypto ETPs for savings accounts

“We are very excited to offer German clients who wish to add Bitcoin and other crypto assets to their savings plan a compelling option to do so thanks to comdirect,” said Hany Rashwan, CEO of 21Shares.

Investment product issuer 21Shares has joined forces with comdirect, a leading online brokerage in Germany, to bring its cryptocurrency exchange-traded products, or ETPs, to savings accounts. 

The partnership means that comdirect’s nearly 3 million customers will be able to integrate physically-backed crypto ETPs into their Spar savings accounts. 21Shares claims this is the first such instance where investors can gain crypto exposure in their savings accounts.

Marco Infuso, a managing director at 21Shares, said the new product offering will enable comdirect clients to include crypto in their retirement planning and will also help onboard investors who have been apprehensive about dabbling in Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies due to a lack of investment options.

“Empowering people to choose how they allocate their investments for their retirement has led to such a project to materialise,” he said. “This is very exciting for any investors who have been thinking about purchasing bitcoin but did not offer the proper investment tools to store them successfully in a savings plan.

21Shares and other crypto asset firms have been working to integrate digital assets into the traditional finance sphere. Bitcoin ETPs have proven to be a popular option for investors seeking alternative exposure to cryptocurrencies.

Back in 2019, 21Shares became the first crypto issuer to list a fully fully collateralized Bitcoin ETP on German exchanges. Just last month, the company teamed up with asset manager Ark Invest to file for a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund in the United States.

Related: Investment product issuer 21Shares will list Bitcoin ETP on Aquis Exchange

Although the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has yet to approve a Bitcoin ETF, regulators could begin softening their stance over the next few years, according to Todd Rosenbluth. The head of ETF and mutual fund research believes a U.S. Bitcoin ETF could be approved by 2023.