Ripple Expands Cross-Border Payments in Brazil, Plans VASP License Application

The European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, or MiCA, has applied in full since December 30, 2024, with national authorities responsible for issuing crypto-asset service provider, or CASP, licenses. Approval from Luxembourg's financial regulator, the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, allows Ripple to provide cross-border services under a single license, strengthening its regulatory footing in Europe's crypto-asset and payments markets.

In July 2026, the CSSF upgraded Ripple's preliminary CASP authorization to a fully compliant license, allowing it to operate legally across all 27 EU countries and other European Economic Area markets. The approval did not involve a transaction value, but confirms that Ripple has completed MiCA's formal authorization process and can further expand its cross-border payments and crypto-asset services in Europe.

The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, or MiCA, establishes a unified licensing and supervisory framework for crypto-asset service providers. A license from one member state allows a company to serve the European Economic Area through the bloc’s passporting mechanism. Ripple is targeting cross-border payment demand from banks and fintech companies. Its application builds on its existing electronic money institution license and strengthens its compliant payments infrastructure.

Ripple recently received preliminary approval from Luxembourg’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier for a MiCA crypto-asset service provider license. Once formally effective, the license could allow Ripple to offer services across 30 European Economic Area countries. The move comes before the EU’s MiCA transitional arrangements expire on July 1, 2026, but Ripple must still satisfy the conditions for final approval.

Ripple plans to acquire BC Payments Australia to obtain an Australian Financial Services Licence, or AFSL, and comply with local regulatory requirements for cryptocurrency and payment services. As demand among Australian institutional investors for digital-asset infrastructure grows, the licence would provide an important foundation for Ripple's expansion of its compliant cross-border payments business.

Under the latest plan, Ripple expects to complete the transaction on April 1. The purchase price has not been disclosed. Reports said the company's payment volume in the Asia-Pacific region has doubled. Ripple will use BC Payments Australia's AFSL to accelerate its entry into the Australian market and serve local institutional clients.

Ripple has long provided cross-border payment services to banks and fintech companies, using its U.S. dollar stablecoin RLUSD to connect digital assets with the traditional financial system. It integrated custody provider Palisade and Rail, the stablecoin payments platform it acquired for $200 million in 2025, adding wallet, asset-management and settlement capabilities.

Ripple Payments recently expanded its services, allowing customers to hold and convert funds and settle cross-border transactions in fiat currencies or stablecoins on a single platform. The offering covers collections, treasury operations and payouts. Ripple said the platform had processed more than $100 billion in cumulative volume as of July 2026, with a focus on serving banks and fintech institutions.