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BitPay’s Dutch subsidiary has received authorization as a crypto-asset service provider under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, giving the payments company a regulated base for crypto and stablecoin services across the bloc.
The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets authorized BitPay B.V. on July 16, supporting regulated payment processing, cross-border payments, consumer spending and partner-supported buying, selling and swapping. The approval strengthens BitPay’s European expansion, but some stablecoin payment activity may still require separate payment-service permissions.
Dutch Approval Gives BitPay 27-State EU Route
BitPay’s authorization gives the company a Dutch regulatory base under MiCA, the EU framework created to replace fragmented national crypto rules with a more uniform regime for crypto-asset issuers and service providers. ESMA says MiCA covers transparency, disclosure, authorization and supervision for crypto-asset activity across the EU.
The Dutch approval matters because MiCA allows authorized crypto-asset service providers to use a passporting process for cross-border activity. AFM guidance says a Dutch CASP that wants to offer services in other EU member states must submit a European passport notification under Article 65 of MiCA.
That makes the license more than a local Dutch registration. It gives BitPay a route to expand covered crypto-asset services across the EU from Amsterdam, subject to notification steps, the scope of its authorization and any other financial-services rules that apply to specific payment activity.
License Covers Payments, Transfers and Consumer Tools
BitPay said the license enables its Dutch subsidiary to support regulated cryptocurrency payment services across the EU, including payment processing, cross-border payments, consumer spending and partner-supported buying, selling and swapping.
For merchants, that means BitPay can offer infrastructure for accepting digital assets at checkout, issuing invoices, supporting online payments and handling settlement options. For consumers, the authorization supports spending tools and access to certain buy, sell and swap services through BitPay partners, depending on availability in each market.
The approval does not mean every product is live in every EU country immediately. Passporting still requires notice to the AFM and relevant regulators, and the final service mix will depend on BitPay’s rollout decisions, partner coverage and local regulatory requirements.
Stablecoin Acceptance Drives EU Expansion Plan
Stablecoin payments are central to BitPay’s European strategy. The company has positioned the MiCA authorization as support for cryptocurrency and stablecoin payment expansion, especially for merchants and businesses that want to accept digital assets or make cross-border transfers.
BitPay’s merchant platform supports payment acceptance, invoices, online checkout, point-of-sale transactions and payouts across several blockchain networks. The company says it has processed more than $7 billion through more than 13 million transactions since 2011, a figure that should be treated as company-provided operating data.
The stablecoin use case is strongest where businesses want faster settlement or cross-border payment rails without managing every supported token directly. BitPay can help convert payments into selected settlement assets, reducing the operational burden for merchants that want digital-asset acceptance without holding each asset on their own balance sheet.
MiCA Adds Controls Beyond Dutch AML Registration
BitPay had already operated in the Netherlands under the earlier national registration regime for crypto firms. That framework focused mainly on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist-financing supervision, while MiCA introduces a broader EU rulebook for crypto-asset service providers.
AFM says its crypto register lists CASPs that have obtained authorization or notification from the AFM or another EU supervisor and identifies which services those providers are permitted to offer. It also notes that the previous Dutch transitional regime for certain registered crypto providers ended on June 30, 2025.
The shift is important for BitPay because MiCA adds expectations around governance, operational controls, customer protection and supervisory accountability. For a payments company serving merchants and consumers, those requirements are part of moving from national registration into a regulated EU market-access framework.
PSD2 May Still Apply to EMT Payments After March 2026
The MiCA authorization does not automatically replace every payment license. Dutch central bank guidance says a CASP may still need a PSD2 license, an exemption or a partnership with a licensed payment service provider for certain services involving electronic money tokens, known as EMTs.
DNB says a PSD2 license or payment-service-provider partnership is required if a CASP provides crypto-asset transfer services involving EMTs on behalf of clients. It also applies where a CASP provides custody and administration for EMT wallets that allow third-party sending and receiving in a way that makes the wallet function as a payment account.
That distinction matters for stablecoin payments. MiCA regulates crypto-asset services, but some stablecoin activities can also look like payment services when tokens are transferred or held for clients in a payment-account-like structure. BitPay has not said whether its EU stablecoin expansion will rely on a separate payment license, an exemption or licensed payment partners.
Passporting and Merchant Rollout Are Next Steps
BitPay’s next practical step is turning the Dutch authorization into broader EU availability. AFM guidance says a Dutch CASP can begin providing services in another member state after the required passport notification is received by the relevant authority, or no later than 15 calendar days after correct information is submitted to the AFM.
The company has said it plans further investment in European operations, partnerships and regulated payment infrastructure. It has not announced new EU merchants, stablecoin issuers or country-by-country launch dates tied to the license.
For crypto payments, the approval gives BitPay a clearer regulatory base at a time when MiCA is pushing exchanges, wallet providers and payment firms into formal EU supervision. For BitPay, the test is whether a MiCA license can translate into broader merchant adoption of crypto and stablecoin payments without creating new uncertainty around PSD2 payment rules.
