Regulatory Approval and Market Access
Zerohash Europe has obtained regulatory approval from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets, positioning itself among the earliest infrastructure providers authorized under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. The license enables the stablecoin company to serve banking institutions, fintech firms, and payment platforms across all 30 European Economic Area countries.
The Dutch regulator's official registry confirmed Zerohash's registration as a crypto-asset service provider on Sunday. This designation allows the company to operate as foundational infrastructure for organizations building tokenized assets, stablecoins, and blockchain-based financial products throughout the region.
Potential Acquisition by Mastercard
The timing of this regulatory milestone coincides with reports that Mastercard is pursuing an acquisition of Zerohash valued between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. Fortune cited anonymous sources Wednesday who indicated the payments giant has entered advanced negotiations to purchase the startup. Founded in 2017, Zerohash provides crypto infrastructure solutions to major clients including Morgan Stanley, Franklin Templeton and Stripe.
Mastercard's Expanding Stablecoin Operations
Mastercard has been expanding its stablecoin operations in recent months. The company announced in August that it would enable merchants and acquirers in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa to settle transactions using Circle's USDC and Euro Coin. Arab Financial Services and Eazy Financial Services became the first to adopt these services, marking Mastercard's initial stablecoin settlement offering in the EEMEA region.
The payments provider also partnered with Kazakhstan's central bank and Solana on a September pilot project. The National Bank of Kazakhstan launched the initiative within its Digital Assets Regulatory Sandbox on Sept. 23, introducing the Evo stablecoin pegged to the country's tenge currency.
Impact of MiCA License
Intebix Crypto Exchange and Eurasian Bank issued the KZTE stablecoin as sandbox participants. The MiCA license strengthens Zerohash's appeal to institutional clients seeking compliant infrastructure for digital asset services across Europe.
The approval follows the EU's implementation of comprehensive crypto regulations designed to establish clear frameworks for digital asset operations. Zerohash's early authorization under these rules provides a competitive advantage as the tokenization market expands.