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Zerohash Secures First EMI License Under MiCA for Europe Services

Zerohash Secures First EMI License Under MiCA for Europe Services

According to Zerohash, its Dutch EMI and MiCA approvals allow compliant institutional stablecoin payment services across the EEA ahead of the European Banking Authority’s March 2026 PSD2 authorization deadline.

Fact Check
The claim is strongly supported by multiple independent, credible sources all dated May 18, 2026. The Block and Crypto Briefing both independently report that Zerohash Europe became the first MiCA-licensed firm to also hold full EMI status, with the license issued by De Nederlandsche Bank. Zerohash's own official X account (@zerohashx) retweeted the announcement, providing first-party confirmation. BSC News adds regulatory depth, and the EBA's official press release confirms the underlying regulatory framework (the June 2025 No Action Letter and March 2026 enforcement deadline) that made dual licensing necessary and meaningful. The only minor nuance is that the EMI license was technically issued by DNB under Dutch/EU payment services law in conjunction with MiCA authorization, rather than 'under MiCA' alone, but this is a technical distinction that does not undermine the core claim. The 5% residual uncertainty accounts for the absence of a directly fetched Zerohash press release and the possibility that the 'first' designation could be contested.
Summary

Zerohash said it obtained an electronic money institution license from the Dutch central bank, completing the dual authorization it says is required to offer stablecoin payment services in Europe under both MiCA and PSD2. The company’s Amsterdam subsidiary, Zerohash Europe B.V., had previously received MiCA authorization from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets in October 2025, and the new EMI approval now allows the firm to provide institutional stablecoin payment services across the 30-country European Economic Area. The report says the European Banking Authority clarified in a June 2025 no-action letter that holding and transferring stablecoins for clients counts as a payment service under PSD2, with regulators instructed to require payment services authorization for those activities starting March 2, 2026. Zerohash said the approvals position it to expand stablecoin infrastructure in Europe, where it has also recently grown its Amsterdam office.

Terms & Concepts
  • MiCA: The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework that sets rules for crypto-asset issuers and service providers across the bloc.
  • EMI: An Electronic Money Institution license that permits a company to issue electronic money and provide regulated payment services.
  • PSD2: The EU’s second Payment Services Directive, which governs payment services and can apply to stablecoin custody and transfers when treated as payment activity.