At ZBD, we’re making payments in gaming and entertainment faster, cheaper, and more exciting. When gamers earn money by playing a ZBD-powered game, they don’t usually think of it as financial technology, but under the hood, that’s exactly what it is. Millions of payments flying into the wallets of gamers all over the world instantly, at no cost and with no minimums.
Since day one, we’ve been focused on using the latest tech to move money in a way that wasn’t possible before. But tech isn’t the only component of what enables us to create new experiences based on payments. The other part, which we place equal emphasis on, is compliance.
Our partners trust ZBD because we operate with the highest standards in compliance. We don’t cut corners and we have the licenses and oversight from regulators to prove it. And now, we’ve hit a major milestone — we’ve become one of the first companies ever to secure approval for a MiCAR (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) license in the EU! The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) approved our license application this week, and will issue the license when MiCAR takes effect on 30th December 2024. This achievement is a huge step forward for us and sets the stage for even bigger things ahead.
A Major Step for Our EU Expansion
The MiCAR license is part of the EU’s new rules for the crypto space. It’s all about ensuring that businesses are transparent, secure, and fully compliant with regulations. While many companies are still working through these new rules, our proactive approach to compliance helped us stay ahead of the curve.
Now that we have approval under MiCAR, we can offer a wide range of services across the entire EU. From managing crypto assets to exchange between fiat and crypto currencies, we’ve got it covered. The best part? We don’t have to deal with complicated, country-by-country regulations — we can operate seamlessly across all EU member states and bring our payment solutions to more businesses and users.
For us, MiCAR approval isn’t just a checkmark on a list. It’s a key step toward becoming a go-to, trusted provider in the world of digital payments. While we already had extensive licensing coverage in the US, we didn’t have that level of coverage, and therefore capability, in the EU so far.
MiCAR, which is a brand new regulatory framework, gave us the opportunity to get licensed in all EU member states in one swoop. And we jumped on this opportunity, resulting in ZBD receiving approval for the license ahead of all other companies, including the world’s largest crypto exchanges!
Bridging Digital and Traditional Payments
The MiCAR license approval is just one part of our bigger plan. We’re also in the final stages of getting an EMI (Electronic Money Institution) license in the EU, which will allow us to offer traditional payment services like credit and debit card processing, bank transfers, and more. Combining this with our digital payments tech will give us the ability to offer a hybrid solution that works for both the digital and traditional financial worlds.
With both licenses in place, we’ll be able to handle everything from instant cross-border transactions to traditional currency exchange — all with the speed, efficiency, and low fees that come with our digital-native approach. Whether you’re making payments, handling rewards, or transferring money internationally, we’ll have you covered.
The Path to Becoming A Global, Digital-Native Payments Company
So what’s next for ZBD? We’ve spent years building the tech and infrastructure to handle the demands of a global payments ecosystem, and now we’re ready to scale even further. In being one of the first to receive approval under MiCAR, we’re in a strong position to expand in the EU and create products that enable better, faster and cheaper payments functionality than currently exists in the market.
The world of payments is changing fast, and we’re excited to be a part of it. Our goal is simple: to create a world where money moves instantly, securely, and across borders — whether it’s for gaming, entertainment, or other digital economies. We’re building the future of payments, and with the necessary regulatory approvals in hand, we’re ready to take the next step.
Stay tuned — the best is yet to come!