German Banking Platform solarisBank Launches “Blockchain Factory” to Serve Crypto Industry

Peter Grosskopf, who serves as CTO and heads the Blockchain Factory, offered perspective on the announcement: "The traditional financial system isn't vanishing. What we're witnessing is an evolution toward a mixed landscape, where blockchain must still demonstrate its credentials. That said, we recognize how transformative these models can become and we're committed to steering this sector forward." He added: "solarisBank operates within conventional finance—we hold a German banking license and answer to BaFin oversight—yet our identity is fundamentally technological."

The partnership framework has already materialized through vPE Bank, a German institutional trading house. This spring, vPE Bank rolled out regulated cryptocurrency trading capabilities for professional investors, with their algorithmic trading infrastructure built collaboratively with solarisBank. Additional deals spanning blockchain-focused debit solutions and digital banking infrastructure are currently in development, with anticipated rollouts later in 2018, according to the company.

Established in 2016 out of Berlin, solarisBank operates as a banking infrastructure platform, holding regulatory authority to enable client companies to launch proprietary financial products. The platform grants partners access to modules covering e-money issuance, consumer lending, and digital banking, complemented by third-party services accessible through API integration. Following its success deploying Banking as a Platform globally, the company identified the blockchain ecosystem as the logical next frontier. CEO Roland Folz explained: "Over the past pair of years, solarisBank has been delivering contextual banking—integrating financial tools via APIs into existing customer ecosystems on-demand. Expanding this capability to serve blockchain and cryptocurrency enterprises represents our next chapter. The market is actively seeking a regulated entity capable of bridging blockchain infrastructure with conventional banking infrastructure—as a technology-driven organization operating under banking authority, we're uniquely positioned to fill that gap."