Scalable Capital is Munich's leading investment platform — famous for its award-winning robo-advisor and flat-fee ETF broker before it expanded into cryptocurrency. Now offering crypto alongside stocks, ETFs, and managed portfolios, Scalable Capital serves German investors who want a comprehensive, BaFin-regulated investment hub. This review examines whether its crypto offering justifies the PRIME+ subscription.
Best for Munich-based investors who already use Scalable for ETFs and want crypto in the same app.
Scalable Capital was founded in Munich in 2014 and initially made its name as Germany's leading robo-advisor — an automated investment service that builds and manages diversified ETF portfolios based on your risk profile. The platform attracted over 700,000 customers and more than €10 billion in assets under management before expanding into self-directed stock and ETF trading, and then crypto.
Scalable Capital is fully regulated by BaFin and operates as a licensed investment firm under German and EU law. The crypto offering was added to serve the growing number of German investors who wanted to hold some cryptocurrency alongside their ETF and stock portfolios — all in one regulated account. Check the current BaFin registration at bafin.de.
Scalable Capital's pricing model is subscription-based. The PRIME+ plan costs €4.99/month (or €2.99/month billed annually) and provides €0.99 per trade across stocks, ETFs, and crypto. Without a subscription, trades cost 0.99% of the trade value — so a €1,000 crypto purchase costs €9.90. With PRIME+, the same trade costs just €0.99. For investors who trade regularly — even just a few times per month — PRIME+ easily pays for itself.
The flat €0.99 fee model is similar to Trade Republic's €1 structure and is excellent value for larger trades. For very small trades (under €100), the €0.99 fee is a relatively high percentage, but still reasonable for a regulated German platform.
Scalable Capital offers around 20 major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and other top-cap assets. This is considerably fewer than dedicated crypto exchanges like Bitvavo (300+) or CEX.IO (200+). For investors who only want exposure to the largest, most liquid cryptocurrencies, this is sufficient. For those who want to buy smaller altcoins or newly listed tokens, Scalable Capital is not the right platform.
What truly differentiates Scalable Capital is the robo-advisor. German investors who want to combine automated ETF investing with manual crypto purchases can do both in a single account. The robo-advisor builds a globally diversified portfolio (typically MSCI World ETFs and bonds) rebalanced automatically, while you separately manage crypto positions. This combination of passive investing and crypto exposure in one BaFin-regulated account is unique in Germany.
Scalable Capital accepts SEPA transfers from all German banks for account funding — free of charge. The platform offers a Scalable Capital bank account (provided by Baader Bank, a licensed German custodian bank) which holds cash uninvested. SEPA Instant is supported for faster deposits. EUR balances at Scalable Capital are protected by the German deposit guarantee scheme up to €100,000 — a banking protection level most pure crypto exchanges cannot offer.
Customer assets at Scalable Capital are held by Baader Bank AG, a licensed German custodian bank. This means your investments are held separately from Scalable Capital's own balance sheet — if Scalable Capital itself went bankrupt, your assets would be protected. Crypto assets are held by a regulated crypto custodian. BaFin oversight applies to all operations.
| Fee Type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trade (PRIME+ subscription) | €0.99 flat | Per executed order on crypto, stocks, ETFs |
| Trade (no subscription) | 0.99% | Minimum €0.99; no subscription needed |
| PRIME+ Subscription | €4.99/month | €2.99/month if billed annually |
| SEPA Deposit | Free | EUR bank transfer at no cost |
| SEPA Withdrawal | Free | EUR to German bank free |
| Robo-Advisor | 0.75% p.a. | Annual management fee on managed portfolio |
| Crypto Custody | Free | No monthly custody fee |
Register at scalable.capital. Identity verification uses your German ID or passport via video or eID. Choose the PRIME+ plan to access €0.99 trades. Account opening is free.
Transfer EUR from your German bank account via SEPA to your Scalable Capital account (held at Baader Bank). Free of charge. SEPA Instant is supported for same-day funding at most German banks.
In the app or web platform, go to the Crypto section. Search for Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any of the ~20 available assets. Enter your EUR amount and place the order. On PRIME+, you pay €0.99 per trade regardless of size.
Set up automated ETF savings plans (Sparplan) for passive index investing, and separately hold crypto positions manually. This hybrid approach — automated diversification plus crypto allocation — is what makes Scalable Capital's all-in-one model attractive for German investors.
