ZBD Becomes First to Receive EU MiCAR License Approval

ZBD, the innovative payments company at the forefront of digital economies, today announced it has become the first company to receive approval for the new European Union (EU) crypto-asset service provider license under MiCAR (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation). This landmark achievement represents a major milestone both in crypto-asset regulation in the EU and in ZBD’s journey to build a digital-native payments platform on top of the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) has approved ZBD’s license application under MiCAR, and will issue its license when MiCAR takes effect on 30th December 2024. MiCAR is a new regulatory framework that all crypto-asset service providers in the EU must comply with. Securing a license under MiCAR allows ZBD to expand its capabilities by offering a wide range of services including crypto-asset custody, administration, transfers, and—crucially—fiat-to-crypto and crypto-to-fiat exchange. It also demonstrates a strict adherence to the highest standards of compliance and consumer protection for ZBD’s EU users.

While many companies, including the world’s largest exchanges, are struggling to navigate MiCAR’s stringent requirements, ZBD’s comprehensive and proactive approach to compliance has positioned it to lead the way in crypto-asset innovation and better serve customers across the EU. MiCAR therefore presents a unique opportunity for ZBD as it begins its expansion into the EU market after establishing a strong presence in the US.

“Being the first to have received MiCAR license approval is a major leap forward for us,” says Marca Wosoba, COO of ZBD. “We’ve built a culture where compliance is at the forefront of what we do, and we see it as an enabler for new functionality, not a blocker. MiCAR gave us an opportunity to obtain licensing across all of the EU and facilitate our expansion in the region.”

This milestone aligns with ZBD’s broader vision to build digital-native payments infrastructure for the gaming and entertainment industries. Unlike traditional FinTech companies, which typically start with a fiat-first model and then add on crypto functionality, ZBD flips the script—building on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network to enable fast, low-cost, and globally scalable payments. This flexibility allows the company to find product market-fit in the gaming space, serving use cases that are simply not possible with traditional finance, such as instant reward payouts with no minimums – gamers can earn money playing games and cash out as soon as they’ve earned even a fraction of a cent.

“Having already built a stable revenue-generating business gives us a great entry point to expand what we do and move towards our vision of building a payments company that can instantly move money in any currency,” added Wosoba. “It’s not about being a crypto or Bitcoin business, it’s about being a digital-native payments business that happens to use Bitcoin on the Lightning Network as a core technology in our internal tech stack.”

In being the first to secure a MiCAR license approval, ZBD took a proactive and strategic approach, submitting its MiCAR application at the earliest opportunity. Its strong, collaborative relationship with  The AFM, which was the first in the EU to accept and process applications, was also instrumental in achieving this significant milestone.

“We’ve been in constant contact with the AFM since we submitted our application in April,” says Nelly Doudina Popoli, EU Head of Risk and Compliance at ZBD. “They sent over 200 follow-up questions, as well as requests to update our policies and procedures on a monthly basis.  As a payments company carving out our position and building trust in a space dominated by bigger incumbents, this transparent relationship with our regulator is a massive asset and a strong validation for our decision to pick the Netherlands as the location of our EU headquarters.”

The license under MiCAR primes ZBD to launch more complex payment products built around Bitcoin, as well as grow rapidly in the EU in 2025. It also brings ZBD one step closer to achieving its ambitious vision as a transformative digital-native payments company. Following its ethos of building crypto-first and then adding complementary fiat functionality, the company is also in the final stages of receiving an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license, which will complement the range of services ZBD can offer under MiCAR, by also granting it license to perform a wide range of fiat payments services in the EU.