MoonPay, BitStaete, FinTech ZBD, and HiddenRoad have received the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license from the Netherlands, enabling them to operate across all 27 countries in the European Union

The Netherlands’ financial regulator, the AFM, granted Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licenses to MoonPay, BitStaete, ZBD, and Hidden Road, making them among the first firms in the country to receive authorization under the EU’s new crypto rulebook. Because MiCA uses a passporting model, a license from one EU member state can allow a crypto-asset service provider to operate across the bloc’s 27 countries once the authorization is recognized under the framework. The development matters because MiCA is designed to replace Europe’s fragmented national crypto regimes with a single licensing standard for crypto-asset service providers, stablecoin issuers, and related firms. The Netherlands’ approvals signaled early regulatory momentum after the framework’s implementation milestones, and the four firms span different segments of the industry: MoonPay is a crypto payments and trading platform, BitStaete is a digital asset manager, ZBD is a Bitcoin-focused fintech using Lightning Network technology, and Hidden Road is a prime brokerage and clearing firm.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

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• Fintech
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