Ripple Plans April Acquisition of BC Payments Australia to Secure AFSL

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 established a presence in Brazil in 2019, launched crypto-enabled cross-border payments with Travelex Bank in 2022 and introduced an end-to-end service with Mercado Bitcoin in 2024. As the Central Bank of Brazil establishes a regulatory framework for virtual asset service providers, regulatory approval has become essential for offering payments, custody and stablecoin services. This has also made Brazil a key base for Ripple's expansion into Latin America's institutional market.

Ripple announced on March 17, 2026, that it was expanding its Brazilian operations by bringing together Ripple Payments, digital asset custody, prime brokerage and treasury management. It also plans to apply to the Central Bank of Brazil for a VASP license. Ripple's payment network has processed more than $100 billion globally across over 60 markets. Its clients include Banco Genial, Braza Bank and Nomad, which has more than 3 million users.