Zebec Acquires Gatenox for 100% Cash to Boost Compliance

Zebec Network, a prominent financial infrastructure company, has acquired Gatenox, a compliance and identity platform. This strategic move aims to integrate core regulatory infrastructure within Zebec's operations, enabling the company to expand into more tightly regulated markets. The acquisition brings native Know Your Customer (KYC), Know Your Business (KYB), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) tools directly into Zebec's Web3 payment stack.

Neal Padhye, the head of mergers and acquisitions at Zebec, emphasized the importance of regulation in the current financial landscape. "With Gatenox, we’re embedding compliance into the foundation of programmable finance, making Zebec faster, safer and ready for institutional scale," Padhye stated. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but it was confirmed to be an all-cash transaction.

Zebec plans to utilize Gatenox’s technology to pursue regulatory registration under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and with the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) later in 2025. Although Gatenox is not currently registered with any financial authorities, the team behind it has extensive experience at regulated financial institutions. The founders of Gatenox previously established BLIK, the largest mobile payment platform in Eastern Europe, and Coinfirm. These founders will join Zebec and advise on its compliance program.

This acquisition follows Zebec’s earlier purchase of Science Card, a platform designed to empower students and researchers with financial tools. The company streamlines campus spending, research grants, and budgeting. The move to acquire Gatenox allows Zebec to phase out its reliance on third-party compliance providers, replacing them with Gatenox’s proprietary technology. Zebec will be migrating away from Sumsub, a direct competitor to Gatenox, after this acquisition.

Since its inception in 2021, Zebec Network has attracted significant investment, securing $35 million from notable investors including Circle, Coinbase, Solana Ventures, Breyer Capital, Republic, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company's native token is actively traded on various exchanges.