BaFin Warns Consumers About Obsidian Group Website

BaFin News & Warnings

Published March 16th, 2026

Detected March 16th, 2026

Summary

BaFin, the German financial regulator, has issued a warning to consumers regarding the website obsidian-group(.)org. The site is suspected of offering financial, investment, and cryptoasset services without the necessary authorization from BaFin.

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What changed

BaFin has issued a consumer warning concerning the website obsidian-group(.)org, which is suspected of operating without the required authorization to offer financial, investment, and cryptoasset services in Germany. The operators, identifying only as Obsidian Group, claim registration with CySEC, which BaFin could not verify. This website is similar to previously warned sites, indicating a potential pattern of unauthorised operations.

Consumers are advised to exercise extreme caution when dealing with online investment services and to verify authorization through BaFin's database. This warning is issued under sections 37(4) of the German Banking Act (KWG) and 10(7) of the German Cryptomarkets Supervision Act (KMAG). While this is a warning and not an enforcement action with immediate penalties, engaging with unauthorised entities carries significant risks for consumers.

What to do next

Review BaFin's database for authorization of financial service providers before engaging services.
Exercise extreme caution with online investment platforms, especially those claiming foreign registration without verifiable proof.
Report suspected unauthorised financial activities to BaFin.

Source document (simplified)

Erscheinung: 16.03.2026 | Topic Unauthorised business, Consumer protection BaFin warns consumers about the website obsidian-group(.)org

The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) warns consumers about the services offered on the website obsidian-group(.)org. BaFin has information that this website is being used to offer financial, investment and cryptoasset services without the required authorisation.

The operators of the website refer to themselves only as Obsidian Group without stating the company’s legal form. On the website, the operator claims to be registered with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). This registration cannot be verified.

The website obsidian-group(.)org is almost identical to the website parex-am(.)com, about which BaFin has warned consumers in the past. BaFin has information that the websites vertex-market(.)com, aspenholdingsltd(.)com and tradingessentials(.)pro, which have since been deactivated, are also part of this platform series.

Anyone providing financial, investment or cryptoasset services in Germany may do so only with authorisation from BaFin. However, some companies offer these services without the necessary authorisation. Information on whether a particular company has been granted authorisation by BaFin can be found in BaFin ’s database of companies.

BaFin is issuing this warning on the basis of section 37 (4) of the German Banking Act (Kreditwesengesetz – KWG) and section 10 (7) of the German Cryptomarkets Supervision Act (Kryptomärkteaufsichtsgesetz – KMAG).

Please be aware:

BaFin, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt – BKA) and the German state criminal police offices (Landeskriminalämter) recommend that consumers seeking to invest money online should exercise the utmost caution and do the necessary research beforehand in order to identify fraud attempts at an early stage.

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