Blockchain.com secures Cayman VASP custody license after 2025 conditional approval

The approval lets the crypto services company offer regulated custody, crypto-fiat exchange and crypto-to-crypto trading in the Cayman Islands, extending a broader push that also includes MiCA licensing in Europe and FCA registration in the UK.

Summary

Blockchain.com has received a virtual asset service provider, or VASP (crypto business licensing category), custody license from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, or CIMA (Cayman financial regulator), allowing it to provide regulated crypto custody services in the Cayman Islands. The license was approved on July 22, 2026, after CIMA granted the company conditional approval in December 2025. It also permits Blockchain.com to offer cryptocurrency-to-fiat exchange and cryptocurrency-to-cryptocurrency exchange services. The company has held a VASP registration in the Cayman Islands since May 2022. Co-CEO Lane Kasselman said the CIMA approval builds on recent regulatory progress, including a Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA (European Union crypto rulebook), license in Europe and registration with the Financial Conduct Authority, or FCA (UK financial regulator).

Terms & Concepts
  • VASP: Virtual asset service provider licensing category for crypto firms.
  • Custody: Safekeeping of clients' digital assets by a service provider.
  • MiCA: European Union regulatory framework for crypto-assets services.