BitPay secures Dutch MiCA license, plans to expand crypto and stablecoin payments in the EU

BitPay has secured approval from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets, which lets the company operate in EU member states under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. For PSPs and merchants in high-risk verticals, the practical point is simple: BitPay now has a regulatory base in the Netherlands to push crypto and stablecoin payments across the region.

1. On Thursday, BitPay said the Dutch approval makes it a crypto-asset service provider (CASP) under Dutch financial authorities, with the license covering operations in European Union member states.
2. The company said the authorization will allow it to expand its services in the region, including crypto and stablecoin payments. In this space, that usually matters less as a headline and more as a routing question: which markets, which payment types, and under whose supervision.
3. BitPay is among the latest firms to be licensed under MiCA after the July 1 requirement that all entities offering crypto-related services be regulated. The timing matters because the MiCA window is now moving from application season to operating reality.
4. BitPay’s European head, Jonathan Arler, said: “Europe is one of the most important regions for the future of payments.”
5. The broader pattern is that some major crypto businesses are still making different choices under MiCA. Binance abandoned its initial efforts with EU regulators, while Ripple said last week that it secured a CASP license with Luxembourg’s financial regulator.