Bitpanda Secures FCA Approval, Expands into UK Market

Bitpanda, a leading European cryptocurrency platform, has secured regulatory approval from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to operate in the British market. This approval allows the Vienna-based company to offer its extensive range of over 500 cryptocurrencies to UK investors.

The company plans to open registrations for UK users in the coming months and establish a permanent office in London. Bitpanda aims to develop products tailored to the British market as part of its expansion strategy.

The FCA approval marks a significant milestone in Bitpanda's European expansion plans. The company already holds multiple regulatory licenses, including a MiCAR license from the German regulator BaFin, a PSD2 E-money license, and a MiFID II license.

Eric Demuth, CEO and Co-Founder of Bitpanda, emphasized the importance of the UK market in the company's growth strategy. "Being Europe's leading crypto platform means being in the UK – there was no question about it. This was the last missing piece to truly serve all Europeans," Demuth stated.

The platform's UK offering will include cryptocurrency staking, savings plans, and crypto indices, providing British investors with a comprehensive suite of digital asset investment options.

Bitpanda's entry into the UK market comes after a decade of regulatory compliance efforts. The company has obtained Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registrations across multiple markets, positioning itself as a regulated and compliant platform for cryptocurrency investing.

Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad, Deputy CEO at Bitpanda, highlighted the UK's position as a financial hub. "The UK is one of the world's most important financial hubs, home to some of the most innovative companies and a thriving cryptoasset economy," he said.

Beyond its consumer-focused services, Bitpanda operates a business-to-business division called Bitpanda Technology Solutions (BTS). This infrastructure platform provides digital asset services to financial institutions.

BTS currently works with several major European financial institutions, including LBBW, Germany's largest state-owned bank, Raiffeisen Banking Group, Austria's largest retail banking group, and N26, a leading European neobank. The technology division will now extend its services to UK banks, allowing British financial institutions to integrate regulated cryptocurrency trading, investment, and custody services using Bitpanda