Swiss Bitcoin-only investment app Relai is the latest Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) to receive approval under the European Union’s Cryptocurrency Regulatory Framework.
France’s financial market regulator, the Financial Markets Authority (AMF), issued a Crypto Asset Market Regulation (MiCA) license to Relai on Thursday, according to official records.
“We are very proud to be one of the first Bitcoin companies to receive a MiCA license, and we look forward to expanding into France first and Europe as a second step,” Relai co-founder and CEO Julian Liniger said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph on Friday.
Relai, founded in Zurich in 2020, operates a dedicated Bitcoin (BTC) platform that features self-custodial BTC buying, selling, and savings, allowing users to independently manage their holdings.
Breakthrough for the Bitcoin industry in Europe
Obtaining the MiCA license will allow Relai to introduce several regulated services related to Bitcoin investing into its app.
This license empowers Relai to support SEPA payments within the EU and offer higher transaction limits against the euro.
Relai’s MiCA license is a major advancement not only for the platform, but also for the entire Bitcoin industry across Europe, said Relai’s EU co-founder Adem Billican.
Relai co-founders Julian Liniger (left) and Adem Billican. Source: Relay
“Our goal is clear: to bring Bitcoin to as many people as possible: simple, secure and regulated,” Billican said.
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The acquisition of the MiCA license is in line with Relai’s roadmap, with previously announced licensing plans following the company’s $12 million Series A funding round led by US venture capital firm Ego Death Capital in late 2024. Additional backers include Plan B Bitcoin Fund, Timechain, and Solit Group.
This news comes a day after Blockchain.com, one of the oldest crypto platforms operating wallets and blockchain explorers, announced that it had received a MiCA license from the Malta Financial Services Authority.
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