Stripe’s Bridge secures MiCA and EMI licenses to expand across EU

Bridge has secured both a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) crypto-asset service provider authorization and an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in Luxembourg, giving it a regulated framework to offer services across all 27 European Union member states.

According to Bridge, the dual licensing allows the company to operate under the European Union’s MiCA framework while expanding its stablecoin and euro payment services for businesses and developers throughout the bloc. 

The company said the approvals were granted in Luxembourg and cover all EU member states under a single regulatory regime that includes requirements for capital reserves, custody, and operational safeguards.

The licenses also introduce new products for companies building on Bridge’s infrastructure. Businesses will be able to issue custom euro-backed stablecoins, create virtual IBANs in customers’ names, and offer euro accounts that work across the European Union without establishing separate banking relationships in each country, according to the announcement.

New payment tools for European businesses

Bridge said fintech companies can use the platform to provide named IBANs and cross-border euro accounts through one integration. Businesses launching loyalty programs, rewards systems, on and off ramps, or in-app payment products will also be able to issue their own EUR-backed stablecoins without building reserve management and regulatory infrastructure themselves.

The company added that enterprises can use custom stablecoins to transfer funds between subsidiaries instead of relying on correspondent banking networks. Banks, meanwhile, can settle transactions between institutions through stablecoin infrastructure rather than conventional interbank messaging systems.

“A business in the EU can now issue its own euro stablecoin and pair it with named IBANs and named EUR payouts across all 27 member states, on a single integration,” Mai Leduc Blount, Head of Product at Bridge, said in an accompanying statement.

Bridge has already been expanding its regulated payments business outside Europe as well. In March, Visa announced it was extending its partnership with the Stripe-owned company to bring stablecoin-backed Visa cards to more than 100 countries by the end of 2026.

Europe tightens stablecoin rules under MiCA

The approvals come days after the European Union completed the final phase of its MiCA transition on July 1, requiring regulated crypto platforms to support only compliant stablecoins. 

While companies such as Bridge and CACEIS continue securing MiCA authorization to expand regulated services across the bloc, other market participants have been scaling back operations that no longer meet the framework.

As previously reported by crypto.news, Coinbase, Kraken, and Crypto.com removed USDT trading for European users after Tether chose not to seek MiCA authorization. 

Crypto exchange Binance has also implemented MiCA-related service changes and said affected users would continue to have access to options previously communicated by the exchange, including withdrawals and transfers where applicable.