Ripple has obtained preliminary approval for an electronic money institution (EMI) license from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, marking another regulatory milestone as the company expands its payments business across Europe.
Key points to remember:
- Ripple has obtained preliminary approval from EMI in Luxembourg to expand regulated payments in the EU.
- The back-to-back approvals in Luxembourg and the UK strengthen Ripple’s European footprint.
- The licenses support Ripple’s efforts to provide payment infrastructure to banks and institutions.
The approval was granted by the Financial Sector Supervisory Commission and came in the form of a “green light letter,” Ripple said in a recent blog post.
Although the authorization remains subject to final conditions, it allows the company to expand its cross-border payments platform across the European Union, allowing financial institutions to move funds using stablecoins and other digital assets within a regulated framework.
Ripple secures approvals from UK and Luxembourg to strengthen its presence in the EU
The Luxembourg move closely follows Ripple’s recent regulatory progress in the UK, where the company received both an EMI license and cryptoasset registration with the Financial Conduct Authority.
Together, these approvals strengthen Ripple’s footprint in two key European markets as regional rules for digital assets continue to take shape.
Ripple President Monica Long said the European regulatory approach has given financial institutions the confidence to scale blockchain technology beyond pilot programs.
She added that the expansion of Ripple’s licensing portfolio allows the company to offer an end-to-end payment solution combining stablecoins with on-chain liquidity, helping institutions modernize their existing systems and operate around the clock.
Ripple Payments operates as an end-to-end licensed cross-border payments platform, managing the flow of funds on behalf of customers while connecting them to a global network of payment partners.
By managing blockchain infrastructure and operational complexity internally, Ripple enables banks and payment providers to launch digital services without building or maintaining their own systems.
We have obtained our preliminary electronic money institution license approval from the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) of Luxembourg.
This is a crucial step towards scaling Ripple payments across the EU, bringing institutional-grade digital asset infrastructure… pic.twitter.com/GW3c9gVhDs
– Ripple (@ripple) January 14, 2026
According to the company, Ripple Payments has processed over $95 billion in transaction volume to date and now reaches over 90% of daily FX markets.
The company holds over 75 licenses and registrations worldwide, placing it among the most heavily regulated companies in the digital assets industry.
Cassie Craddock, Ripple’s managing director for the UK and Europe, said Luxembourg’s supervisory framework provides the legal certainty needed for financial innovation.
She described the preliminary approval as a crucial step towards establishing compliant blockchain infrastructure across the EU, highlighting Ripple’s focus on aligning its operations with the European Crypto-Asset Markets (MiCA) regime.
Ripple’s RLUSD Gets Regulatory Green Light in Abu Dhabi
As reported, Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD has been cleared for institutional use in Abu Dhabi after being recognized as an accepted Fiat-referenced token by the local regulator.
The approval allows Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) approved companies to use RLUSD for regulated financial activities within the free zone financial hub.
The decision strengthens Ripple’s expansion in the UAE. In recent months, the company has secured approvals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and onboarded partners including Zand Bank and Mamo.
As reported, Ripple is also considering whether to bring staking to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a move that would push the decade-old blockchain deeper into the rapidly expanding world of decentralized finance.
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