Crypto exchange operator WB-Shield Innovations GmbH, operating as WhiteBIT EU, received authorization as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCAR from Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) on Thursday, data from the regulator shows.
The authorization covers custody and administration of crypto-assets, crypto-to-fiat exchange, crypto-to-crypto exchange, placement, and transfer services for clients.
Under MiCAR’s passporting framework, the Austrian authorization allows WhiteBIT EU to provide regulated crypto-asset services to eligible users across the EEA, excluding Malta. Austria becomes WhiteBIT EU’s licensing base for most of its Europe-facing crypto operations.
The company said it is preparing to launch whitebit.eu as a dedicated platform for European users. The site had already been positioned as a ‘coming soon’ waitlist page ahead of the authorization.
“WhiteBIT was originally founded as a European exchange, and Europe remains at the core of our long-term vision,” said Volodymyr Nosov, Founder and President of W Group, WhiteBIT’s parent entity.
WhiteBIT was founded in 2018 and says W Group serves more than 35 million customers globally. The company had already begun adjusting its EEA-facing product offering in late 2024, when it restricted USDT deposits and withdrawals for European users in line with regulatory requirements.
