USDStripe-Owned Bridge Enters EU MiCA Register After Luxembourg Approval
Stablecoin infrastructure firm gains passporting rights across all 27 EU member states
TL;DR
- Stripe-owned Bridge was added to the EU MiCA register on Aug. 7, 2026, through its Luxembourg-based Bridge Building entity.
- Bridge became the 42nd authorized electronic money token issuer after securing CASP and EMI approvals from Luxembourg’s CSSF.
- The licenses give Bridge passporting rights across the European Union as Stripe expands regulated stablecoin payment infrastructure.
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Stripe-owned stablecoin infrastructure company Bridge entered the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets register on Aug. 7, 2026, after receiving regulatory approval in Luxembourg, giving the company a framework to provide regulated stablecoin and digital payment services across all 27 EU member states.
Bridge appears on the European Securities and Markets Authority public register through Bridge Building, its Luxembourg-based entity, as the 42nd authorized electronic money token issuer. That places Bridge alongside 41 other licensed EMT issuers operating under the MiCA framework.
The registration follows regulatory approvals Bridge disclosed in early July, when Luxembourg’s Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier granted the company both a Crypto-Asset Service Provider authorization and an Electronic Money Institution license.
Together, the CASP and EMI permissions allow Bridge to use MiCA “passporting” rights, enabling its Luxembourg-regulated operation to provide qualifying services throughout the European Union without securing a separate authorization in every member state.
Bridge Expands Payments and Stablecoin Infrastructure
Bridge plans to use the authorizations to let European businesses integrate cross-border payments directly into their products, including personalized IBANs and euro-denominated accounts.
The company also intends to provide infrastructure allowing corporate customers to issue their own euro-backed stablecoins. Identified applications include intra-group payments for multinational companies, loyalty programs, customer reward systems, crypto-specific products and internal payment mechanisms for mobile applications.
Bridge Head of Product Mai Leduc Blount previously said the approvals would allow businesses in the European Union to integrate stablecoin payments and custody through Bridge APIs without navigating separate licensing regimes in individual member states.
Bridge was co-founded by former Coinbase and Brex executives Zach Abrams and Sean Yu with a focus on building application programming interface infrastructure for stablecoins.
The acquisition was valued at approximately $1.1 billion.
Stripe’s acquisition was framed around the potential for stablecoin rails to become an internet-commerce settlement layer capable of supporting programmable and near-instant settlement while reducing reliance on traditional card-network intermediaries.
Bridge combines that infrastructure with Stripe’s existing merchant network, creating a potential distribution channel to millions of businesses already using Stripe for payments. The business case presented for Bridge extends beyond crypto-native users if regulated stablecoin settlement can lower payment-processing costs compared with conventional card rails.
Stripe has also been expanding Bridge’s regulatory reach outside Europe. Bridge is pursuing a federal bank charter in the United States through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which would allow the establishment of a national trust bank focused on digital assets.
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MiCA Register Adds Traditional Banks
The ESMA update that added Bridge also included three new German CASP entries: Volksbank Die Gestalterbank, VBU Volksbank im Unterland and VR-Bank Erding.
Those additions brought the number of authorized CASPs across the European Union to 324 and extended MiCA participation beyond dedicated crypto companies into cooperative and regional banking institutions offering crypto custody and exchange services.
The register showed zero authorized asset-referenced token issuers at the time of the update. ARTs include structures such as algorithmic or basket-backed stablecoins, while the authorized stablecoin market described in the register has developed around fiat-backed electronic money tokens.
The list of non-compliant crypto-asset companies was unchanged in the same update.
Bridge’s Luxembourg base also places the company in the same jurisdiction Coinbase selected for its MiCA authorization earlier in 2026, reinforcing Luxembourg’s role as a regulatory entry point for companies seeking access to the wider European market.
Stablecoin Competition Draws Major Payment Firms
Bridge is entering a regulated stablecoin market that already includes large financial and payments companies building blockchain-based settlement infrastructure.
BlackRock has deepened its relationship with Circle and positioned USDC as a settlement asset for its BUIDL tokenized fund. PayPal has expanded PYUSD into international business payments while operating with a user base exceeding 400 million. Visa has developed stablecoin settlement infrastructure connecting banking partners across multiple blockchain networks.
Circle’s USDC was identified as holding a dominant position among dollar-denominated stablecoins relevant to the European market, while Bridge’s competitive advantage centers on its integration with Stripe’s established merchant and payments infrastructure.
Bridge is also pursuing a broader infrastructure model rather than relying solely on a single flagship stablecoin. Its planned offering includes payment APIs, custody, cross-border settlement, euro-account functionality and tools allowing companies to create euro-backed stablecoins for internal or customer-facing applications.
The MiCA registration gives Bridge a regulatory structure connecting Stripe’s merchant network, Luxembourg-issued CASP and EMI permissions, and EU-wide passporting rights as the payments company expands its stablecoin infrastructure business across Europe.
This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.
