Commerzbank

Commercial bank · Frankfurt, Germany

Commerzbank is Germany's second-largest private bank and the main lender to the Mittelstand, serving around 24,000 corporate client groups and handling about 30% of German foreign trade. It reported a record EUR 1.81 billion net result in H1 2026 with a 14.4% CET1 ratio. It was the first German universal bank to obtain a BaFin crypto custody licence in November 2023 and offers bitcoin and ether custody to selected corporate clients with Crypto Finance. UniCredit held 47.59% of its shares after a July 2026 tender offer without reaching control.

Legal name: Commerzbank AG
Regulated by: ECB (SSM), BaFin, Deutsche Bundesbank
Licence confirmed: yes, on a regulator's own list
Established: 1870
Website: www.commerzbank.com

Scores, 0 to 10

8.5Europe (EU, EEA, Switzerland)

Second-largest German private bank with full domestic rails, around 24,000 corporate client groups and about 30% of German foreign trade; Klassik business account EUR 15.90 per month. · source

8.5Trade, manufacturing & import-export

About 30% of German foreign trade, Best Trade Finance Provider in Germany for seven consecutive years (Global Finance 2026), Europe's number one trade finance bank for financial institutions (Euromoney 2025 and 2026). · source

7.5Financial strength & stability

CET1 14.4% at June 2026, issuer ratings A (S&P) and A2 (Moody's); not a G-SIB and 47.59% owned by UniCredit since July 2026. · source

7.0Cross-border payments, FX and multi-currency accounts

Euromoney named it Best FX Bank for Germany 2024 and its network covers more than 40 countries; SME FX margins are not published. Euromoney 2026 ranked Commerzbank global number one cash management provider for banks; corporate network of 15 foreign branches in more than 40 countries. · source

7.0Crypto wallet and custody for a business

Commerzbank holds bitcoin and ether for corporate clients domiciled in Germany in a crypto asset account on its own infrastructure under the BaFin custody licence it received in November 2023, with per-client segregation and portfolio reporting, but only from EUR 500,000 and only for BTC and ETH. · source

6.5On-ramp: buy crypto with fiat

Corporate clients buy bitcoin and ether through a trading account at Deutsche Borse subsidiary Crypto Finance and settle into Commerzbank custody, a service live since September 2024, but it needs a second account at the partner and is limited to German companies. · source

6.5Bitcoin

German corporate clients can buy, hold and move bitcoin between Commerzbank custody and Crypto Finance, with a June 2026 MiCAR risk disclosure for the service, but transfers to outside wallets and extras such as lending are not described. · source

6.0Business cards (Visa, Mastercard)

Commerzbank's Business Card Classic costs EUR 34.90 a year with a 1.5 percent fee outside the euro area and comes as Visa or Mastercard; the Geschäftskonto includes a girocard with Visa function and a Business Card Premium Debit at EUR 5.90 a month. · source

6.0Off-ramp: crypto to fiat in a business account

The same Crypto Finance trading account lets corporate clients sell bitcoin and ether back to euros, but limits, speed and treatment of proceeds from outside exchanges are not published, checked September 2026. · source

6.0Ethereum

Ether is held and traded on the same corporate terms as bitcoin, with no staking and no other tokens offered, checked September 2026. · source

5.0Crypto-friendly bank

Holds a BaFin crypto custody licence since November 2023 and offers bitcoin and ether custody to selected existing corporate clients in Germany, but no stated policy of onboarding crypto exchanges or VASPs. · source

5.0Online businesses: e-commerce and SaaS

Business accounts with cards and German acquiring partnerships, but no multi-currency collection accounts or marketplace payout product was found. The Fremdwährungskonto holds balances in more than 25 currencies for EUR 9.90 a month and online banking supports HBCI, but no API or software-company product is published. · source

4.5Lowest fees

Klassik business account EUR 15.90 per month with 10 free SEPA bookings then EUR 0.20 each; Premium EUR 34.90 and Premium Plus EUR 54.90 (gruendung.de, September 2026). · source

4.5Best interest on business balances

Vivid's July 2026 comparison lists Commerzbank savings and fixed-term interest of 1.0 to 2.5% p.a. for business customers. · source

4.0United Kingdom

One of 15 operational foreign branches serves corporate clients from London; no UK SME current accounts. · source

4.0United States

Commerzbank was the first German bank to open a New York branch in 1971 and serves corporates and financial institutions there; no US small-business accounts. · source

4.0Asia-Pacific (SG, HK, AU, JP, KR)

Corporate-only branches in Asia (Tokyo since 1961, the first German bank in postwar Japan) within a network of 15 foreign branches and 33 representative offices. · source

4.0Fast digital onboarding

VideoIdent online opening is available, but entities in the commercial register must open in a branch and foreign-founder applications take 4 to 8 weeks. · source

4.0Fintech companies that need a partner bank

Comdirect and payment services exist in-house and the ECB FX contact group presentation of November 2025 covered stablecoin flows, but no safeguarding or BaaS programme for third-party EMIs was found. · source

4.0Startups & VC-backed companies

Global Finance named it Best SME Bank in Germany 2025 and 2026 and the Klassik account is free for 12 months, but there is no venture debt or startup unit. · source

4.0Foreign-owned & non-resident companies

Commerzbank's page on who can open accounts describes Geschäftskonten for German business clients and Firmenkonten for corporates; no remote path for owners or companies abroad is published. · source

3.5High-risk verticals (iGaming, cannabis, adult, forex)

No published policy on gambling, adult, cannabis or forex clients was found on the Commerzbank pages opened today. · source

2.0Customer satisfaction

Trustpilot 1.4 out of 5 from 4,792 reviews with 88% one-star. · source

2.0Stablecoins (USDC, USDT and others)

Commerzbank is one of 21 institutions that said on 1 September 2026 they will set up a company to issue a USD stablecoin, targeting the first half of 2027, but it offers no stablecoin service to business clients today. · source

1.0Accept crypto payments

Commerzbank's POS payment product accepts girocard, debit and credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and no crypto acceptance was found, checked September 2026. · source

Sources

Built on public information and the BankStore team's own aggregated experience; no confidential client or partner data. Bank Index and BankStore are not banks. This is information, not financial advice.