ING Adds BTC, ETH and SOL ETPs to German Securities Accounts
ING Deutschland now allows retail clients to buy physically backed exchange-traded products (ETPs) for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) directly inside its Direct Depot securities account. Issuers include 21Shares, Bitwise, VanEck and others; products trade on regulated venues (eg. Xetra) and remove the need for wallets, private keys or external custody. ING warns of typical risks — price volatility, liquidity stress and issuer insolvency — and notes German tax parity with direct crypto ownership (holdings >1 year may avoid capital gains tax). The move follows ING’s broader digital-asset strategy and coincides with rising retail crypto adoption in Germany (Deutsche Bank: ~9% adoption in 2025). For traders, bank-integrated ETP access can widen retail flows into BTC, ETH and SOL via regulated instruments, potentially increasing demand and narrowing access gaps between retail and institutions, while leaving on-chain activity largely unaffected because custody remains off-chain.
Bullish
Making BTC, ETH and SOL ETPs available inside one of Germany’s largest retail brokerages lowers friction for retail buyers and routes new demand through regulated, on-exchange instruments. That increased, simpler retail access is likely to boost net inflows into these ETPs, supporting price demand for the underlying assets — especially in the short to medium term as adoption and convenience drive purchases. Tax parity with direct ownership and issuer backing further reduce buyer hesitation. However, the effect is moderated because custody remains off-chain (so on-chain metrics may not change) and risks (volatility, liquidity stress, issuer insolvency) could trigger rapid outflows in stress scenarios. Overall, the announcement is likely mildly to moderately bullish for BTC, ETH and SOL price action, with a stronger impact on fund flows than on-chain activity.