Ripple Payments Europe has joined ESMA's latest MiCA register update, gaining access to 29 EU countries as a licensed crypto asset service provider. According to ESMA's updated register, Ripple Payments Europe SA is now authorized to offer regulated crypto services across the European Economic Area. The authorization follows Ripple's earlier approval in Luxembourg under the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, with the Luxembourg license permitting its European subsidiary to serve financial institutions and businesses throughout the European Economic Area. Combined with its existing electronic money institution license in Luxembourg, the CASP approval gives Ripple permission to provide crypto asset and stablecoin payment services, with banks, fintech companies, and corporate clients able to use one integration to collect funds, exchange assets, and make payments.
ESMA's updated register now lists 294 authorized CASPs, with the latest additions including Portugal-based Bison Bank, Croatia's state-owned Hrvatska poštanska banka, and Liechtenstein-based Kaiser Partner Privatbank. As reported by ESMA, licensing activity has slowed significantly since MiCA's 18-month transitional period ended on July 1, 2026, with the pace dropping from 37 providers added on July 3 to just 14 this week. Ripple has also received regulatory approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority, with its European permissions applying to Ripple's payment services and infrastructure, including products that may use XRP, the XRP Ledger, or the RLUSD stablecoin. However, only around 210 firms had obtained full authorization by May, out of more than 1,200 that previously held national registrations, indicating a more challenging compliance landscape than initially anticipated.
AMLA chair Bruna Szego warned during a briefing before the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs that firms leaving the market could face a sharp rise in withdrawal requests as customers move their assets before services close. According to AMLA's assessment, licensed virtual asset service providers receiving those customers may also struggle to process a large number of new accounts while maintaining effective anti-money laundering checks. Szego called on departing firms to prepare for increased customer activity and urged authorized providers to preserve compliance standards during onboarding. The warning places Ripple's registration within a more demanding phase of MiCA implementation, as any crypto platform serving European clients now requires a proper CASP license or must cease operations.
XRP trades near $1.07, with a market capitalization above $67 billion, down roughly 3.46% over the past 24 hours, according to BeInCrypto data. The token sits about 70% below its record high of $3.65, demonstrating that regulatory progress has failed to translate into price momentum. For XRP, the impact remains largely indirect as the token settles transfers on the XRP Ledger, so wider institutional use of Ripple's payment rails could increase transactional demand over time. The CASP license allows Ripple to move crypto assets legally within the bloc, while the electronic money institution permission covers the fiat side of each transaction, making the combination particularly relevant for RLUSD, Ripple's dollar-pegged stablecoin. The company holds more than 75 regulatory licenses worldwide, including approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority secured in January.
