Dutch Regulator Granted MiCA License to Zerohash

• The AFM of the Netherlands has approved Zerohash as a provider of stablecoin infrastructure for the whole of Europe.
• The company now holds a MiCA license.
• The regulatory approval follows rumors of a $2 billion deal between Zerohash and Mastercard.

Zerohash, an infrastructure provider for cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized assets, has announced that it has received a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) license from the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). The move makes it one of the first in the sector to be officially authorized to provide services with stablecoins and crypto assets across the European Economic Area (EEA).

According to the statement, the license will enable Zerohash Europe to provide services to banks, fintech companies, and payment platforms in 30 EU countries. The company is listed in the official AFM register as a regulated crypto asset service provider (CASP).

Roeland Goldberg, a member of the Zerohash Europe board, noted that “Europe’s move to formalize crypto-asset and stablecoin regulations is generating real momentum for widespread adoption.”

According to him, thanks to regulatory clarity, “the leading banks, fintechs, and payments platforms are actively exploring stablecoins, tokenization and stablecoin issuance, as well as embedded crypto rails.”

The press release noted that Zerohash Europe’s platform allows financial institutions to integrate crypto and stablecoin products through a single API-first framework, which simplifies transfer operations, custody services, and regulatory compliance. Crypto assets of clients are stored through a separate custodial trust with full bankruptcy protection.

In addition, the company stressed that the Dutch license is another step in the global expansion of Zerohash, which already has permits in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, Australia, and Latin America. The company serves a number of major partners, including Morgan Stanley, Franklin Templeton, Stripe, Interactive Brokers, Worldpay, Securitize, Shift4, and Public.com.

In September 2025, Zerohash closed a $104 million Series D-2 funding round led by Interactive Brokers. The investors also included Morgan Stanley, SoFi, and Apollo, which raised the company’s valuation to $1 billion.

The MiCA license coincided with reports of a possible acquisition of Zerohash by Mastercard. According to Fortune, the payment giant is in the final stages of negotiations on a deal worth between $1.5 and $2 billion. The publication’s sources note that the negotiations are still ongoing and no final decision has been made.

The move coincides with Mastercard’s active promotion of stablecoins. In August, the company announced that it would allow acquirers and merchants in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA) to settle payments in USDC and EURC, making them the first such products in the region.

At the same time, Morgan Stanley, one of Zerohash’s key partners, plans to launch crypto asset trading on the E*Trade platform in 2026 using Zerohash’s infrastructure.