Webull EU has secured Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) authorisation from the Dutch financial regulator, marking one of the first major approvals since the end of the grandfathering period on 1 July. The milestone enables the firm to roll out crypto trading and custody services across the European Union by late 2026.
Andries van Luijk, CEO of Webull Securities (Europe), described the licence as a “significant step” in the group’s continental expansion strategy. He emphasized Webull’s commitment to delivering “secure and compliant access to digital assets” under the EU’s comprehensive regulatory framework.
The Webull Group, known for its zero-commission brokerage in the U.S. and retail operations in the U.K., established its EU base in the Netherlands in 2025. The company reported strong top-line growth in Q1 2026, with revenues reaching US$159.9 million—a 36% year-over-year increase—driven by rising client assets and trading volumes. However, it also posted a net loss due to elevated expansion-related expenditures.
The MiCA regime has dramatically reshaped Europe’s crypto landscape, consolidating the licensed sector to approximately 200 firms. Notably, Binance failed to meet the grandfathering deadline after not securing approval from Greek authorities, highlighting the stringent enforcement of the new rules.
Brussels has initiated a formal review of MiCA’s implementation, seeking industry feedback. A key point of friction involves stablecoins, which MiCA classifies as electronic money—requiring firms to obtain an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence directly overseen by national central banks.
Beyond current provisions, the European Parliament is urging the European Commission to address regulatory gaps concerning Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and staking. DeFi lending platforms have raised “shadow-banking” concerns, while staking and yield-generating products face scrutiny over inadequate disclosures and consumer safeguards. Additionally, the legal treatment of NFTs and tokenised securities remains ambiguous, straddling the boundary of traditional financial instruments.
Parliament has warned that if individual EU member states adopt divergent national rules for DeFi or NFTs, the single market unity MiCA was designed to foster could be undermined by renewed fragmentation.