TL;DR:
- Gate obtained a Payment Institution license in Malta under the EU’s PSD2 framework, granted by the MFSA.
- The authorization allows the exchange to execute payment transactions, credit transfers, and direct debits across the European Union through passporting rights.
- The license complements the MiCA permit obtained in October 2025, consolidating the exchange’s regulatory presence in Europe.
Gate announced that its Maltese entity obtained a license as a Payment Institution under the European Union’s Second Payment Services Directive, known as PSD2. The authorization was granted by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) and enables the exchange to offer regulated payment services across the EU through passporting rights, expanding its activity beyond trading into fiat and stablecoin payment infrastructure.
Giovanni Cunti, CEO of Gate Technology Ltd., noted that the license “positions the exchange to build a secure and scalable bridge between traditional finance and Web3, offering payment solutions compliant with regulations to clients across Europe.” Cunti also highlighted that the achievement will lay the groundwork for future financial services and guarantees regulatory certainty for both institutional and retail clients.
Gate Already Holds the Necessary European Licenses
This new permit adds to the MiCA license obtained on October 1, 2025, which already authorized Gate to provide exchange and custody services for crypto assets across EU member states. Under the MiCA regulation, crypto service providers that integrate stablecoin payments must align with European payment regulations, making PSD2 authorization an increasingly common requirement for exchanges seeking to operate euro-denominated payment flows alongside crypto trading.
According to the MFSA’s public authorization register, Gate Technology is authorized to allow deposits and withdrawals in payment accounts and to execute all operations necessary for their administration, including credit transfers and direct debits.
The exchange, which reports more than 49 million users globally, did not specify which payment products it will launch first or when the rollout of new services in the EU will begin.
Meanwhile, OKX obtained an equivalent license in Malta on February 16 to support products such as OKX Pay and OKX Card, in what is shaping up as a widespread trend among major exchanges to strengthen their position within the European bloc.
