Digital asset banking group Sygnum has secured a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) licence for its Sygnum Europe subsidiary under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), issued by the Financial Market Authority of Liechtenstein. The licence allows Sygnum Europe to move into full operating mode as the MiCAR transition period concludes, combining regulatory authorisation with the group's existing global banking infrastructure.
Licence supports EU expansion strategy
The company describes Europe as one of its home markets and a central part of its growth strategy. The CASP licence is intended to expand Sygnum's market penetration across the EU and EEA, with the Liechtenstein office positioned as an entry point into the bloc's larger economies. The licence is combined with Sygnum's global banking platform, which draws on regulated banking infrastructure and operational experience built across Switzerland, Singapore, and the Middle East. The company said this combination also extends the reach of its Bank-to-Bank platform, which is designed to give EU banks a faster route to launching digital asset services. A company official said direct access to the European market, supported by the group's global banking platform, is intended to extend Sygnum's existing services to a broader base of European clients.
Target segments: high-net-worth individuals and institutions
Sygnum Europe is targeting high-net-worth individuals across the EU, offering integrated accounts that allow clients to transfer fiat currency, digital assets, and USDC, and to trade digital assets including Bitcoin, held in regulated custody. High-net-worth clients will also have access to asset management products, including the Sygnum Crypto Yield Fund.
For institutional investors such as hedge funds, asset managers, and proprietary trading firms, Sygnum is offering Protect, its off-exchange custody platform. The platform segregates trading and custody functions, which the company said reduces the need for pre-funding trading venues and lowers exposure to exchange default risk by holding client digital asset collateral off-balance-sheet within Sygnum's custody infrastructure.
Bank-to-Bank infrastructure targets EU banking sector
Sygnum said most of Europe's more than 5,000 banks have yet to offer digital asset services, citing the cost, expertise, and infrastructure required to do so. Through its Bank-to-Bank platform, Sygnum aims to allow EU banks to reduce the time, cost, and capital required to launch regulated digital asset services. The company currently provides digital asset services to more than a third of the Swiss population through over 25 partner banks, including PostFinance, and said it is aiming to become one of Europe's largest regulated digital asset Bank-to-Bank networks by client reach by 2027.
Broader strategic context
The EU market entry follows other developments in Sygnum's growth strategy, including its off-exchange custody, asset management, and Lombard lending offerings. The company has also implemented artificial intelligence tools using a human-in-the-loop approach for digital asset transactions, which it said has contributed to improved operational efficiency across the group.
