Unlimit Crypto has received a Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence from Cyprus' CySEC under the EU's MiCA framework.
The authorisation is issued under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), which came into force to establish a harmonised regulatory regime for crypto-asset activities across the bloc.
Prior to MiCA's implementation, crypto-asset service providers operating in Europe were required to obtain separate authorisations in each member state where they wished to offer services, with requirements varying by jurisdiction. Under the new regulation, a CASP licence issued by one national authority allows a company to passport its services across the entire EU, without the need for country-by-country approval.
With this licence, Unlimit can now offer crypto-asset services alongside its existing payment services to clients throughout the EU under the single Cyprus-issued approval. This positions the company within a growing group of payment and crypto firms that have sought CASP authorisation since MiCA's crypto-asset service provisions took effect in 2024, as the regulation has become the reference framework for firms seeking to operate in digital assets across the bloc.
Regulatory context and industry implications
MiCA was designed to bring legal clarity to a sector that had previously operated under a patchwork of national rules, covering areas such as stablecoin issuance, custody, trading platforms, and advisory services. For payment infrastructure providers such as Unlimit, obtaining a CASP licence enables the integration of crypto-asset services into an existing payments offering under one regulatory umbrella, rather than maintaining separate compliance structures per market.
In addition, Irene Skrynova, CEO of Global Payments at Unlimit, said that working with crypto in Europe had previously meant meeting different standards in each market, and that the new framework establishes a single standard, with the authorisation allowing the company to expand its digital-asset services across the EU.
The move reflects a broader trend among payment service providers to formalise their crypto offerings under MiCA rather than operate through informal or jurisdiction-specific arrangements. As more national regulators process CASP applications, the number of licensed providers able to passport services across the EU is expected to grow, with implications for competition and consolidation among firms offering combined payment and crypto-asset services.
Further details on Unlimit's crypto-asset service offerings following the licence grant have not been disclosed.
