Bitcoin Bundesverband

The association's policy and educational work includes lobbying toward politicians in Berlin and Brussels, direct access for member companies to policymakers, support for the technical development of bitcoin, education for politics, science and society, events, and networking among companies, investors and experts. Committees for education and ESG and a marketing working group carry the work.

The policy goals of the Bitcoin Bundesverband are tax relief for bitcoin, support for bitcoin mining, an end to treating small private mining as a commercial business, rules that let bitcoin work as a means of payment and a store of value, and harmonized rules across Europe. The association is based in Potsdam and chaired by Philipp J. A. Hartmannsgruber. The registration in the associations register of the Bitcoin Bundesverband is still pending.

In Germany a private investor who sells bitcoin after holding it for more than one year pays no tax on the gain, under section 23 of the Einkommensteuergesetz. A sale within the first year of ownership is taxed as income. A draft bill from the Federal Ministry of Finance would replace this rule with a flat withholding tax from 2027, as the page on bitcoin in Germany explains.

The Bitcoin Bundesverband opposes that change, and a "Taskforce Haltefrist" of the association started a petition to the Bundestag in August 2026, together with the ProHaltefrist campaign. The petition asks to keep crypto-assets classed as "other economic goods" and so to keep the tax exemption after one year; gains within the year would stay taxable. A petition that collects 30,000 online signatures in time gets a public hearing in the Bundestag's Petitions Committee.

Bitcoin differs from other crypto-assets in ways that matter for law and for investors. Bitcoin's protocol caps the supply at 21 million coins, and it has no issuer, so under MiCA bitcoin itself needs no issuer license. The exchanges and custodians that handle it for customers do need a license from BaFin. Professional investors treat bitcoin as an asset class of its own, next to equities and gold, and they weigh its high volatility and the custody risk. The knowledge hub answer on bitcoin and the Bitcoin for Investors masterclass go through these reasons and risks.

Finance Loop took part in the founding on 26 September 2024, and is one of the founding members of the association. Finance Loop explains to finance professionals why and how blockchains can be used in finance, with a focus on compliance and regulation. Finance Loop names the Bitcoin Bundesverband among its partners in the Finance Loop post on knowledge transfer on digital currencies.

Dr. Mathias Linkerhand, who teaches the Bitcoin for Investors masterclass at Finance Loop, is a board member of the German Bitcoin Association, according to the profile of Dr. Mathias Linkerhand. The one-day masterclass is held in German for investors, asset managers, family offices and advisors, in Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich and other cities.

Registration of the Bitcoin Bundesverband in the associations register is still pending. The association is based in Potsdam and publishes its statutes.

Bitcoin Bundesverband organizes events, training and information sessions on bitcoin. Finance Loop events on bitcoin, custody and regulation are on the events page, and the bitcoin seminar in Germany lists the masterclass locations.