European Crypto Unicorn Bitpanda Gets Approval in Spain

Bitpanda, an Austrian cryptocurrency exchange valued at $4.1 billion last summer, has been approved by the government of Spain to operate as a virtual currency exchange and digital asset custody service provider. On June 16, the company’s name emerged in the Bank of Spain’s crypto-enterprise registry. In October of 2021, the registration officially opened its doors. It now consists of 15 firms. Bitpanda’s representative told that the company had been de-facto functioning in the country since 2014. At Bitpanda, we've made it our mission to do things the right way, not the easy way. That means two things above all, regulatory compliance and licensing. After just recently obtaining licences in Sweden and Italy, we are now officially registered with the Bank of Spain. pic.twitter.com/C5gNoAOJJ6 — Bitpanda (@bitpanda) June 21, 2022 French Financial Markets Authority The Vienna-based company has now received a license in Spain, making it the sixth European country in which it has done so. It registered with the French Financial Markets Authority in December 2020, became the first foreign crypto provider to register in Sweden in May and June 2022, and was one of the first to obtain an Italian Virtual Asset Services Provider (VASP) license in May and June 2022. Bitpanda co-founder and co-CEO Eric Demuth stated in the business’s release that the company is committed to delivering a safe trading environment amid the market crisis: “As r...