Amsterdam — April 13, 2026 — ClearBank Europe N.V., the Dutch subsidiary of ClearBank Group, has become the first credit institution in the Netherlands to complete the MiCA notification process and receive regulatory confirmation from the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) to operate as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP). The milestone was announced via the company’s official website.
CASP Status Unlocks Regulated Stablecoin Services
ClearBank Europe is authorized by the European Central Bank (ECB) and supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank. Its parent, ClearBank Limited, is a UK-based cloud-native clearing bank founded in 2017 and regulated by the FCA and PRA. The CASP designation allows the bank to offer custody, exchange, and placement services for crypto-assets within a fully regulated banking environment. The first live services include access to Circle's Mint platform, supporting two dollar-pegged stablecoins: EURC and USDC.
Clients can convert between fiat currencies and these stablecoins directly through ClearBank Europe’s clearing infrastructure. The bank says this setup enables faster and lower-cost cross-border transactions by connecting traditional payment rails to blockchain networks. The move comes as MiCA’s transitional periods for stablecoin and CASP activities approach their final deadlines across the EU.
CEO Kirchner: Digital Assets Becoming Embedded Layer of Payments
Tristan Kirchner, CEO of ClearBank Europe, said the approval places the bank at the forefront of a new era of digital clearing. “By providing access to stablecoins such as EURC and USDC, we are enabling new ways to move money across borders with greater speed, reduced cost, and increased efficiency,” Kirchner stated. He added that digital assets are increasingly becoming an embedded layer of payments infrastructure, and the bank intends to continue innovating as client demand shifts toward compliant digital asset services.
The approval fits into ClearBank Group’s broader strategy across Europe and the UK. In the UK, ClearBank has deepened ties with Coinbase to support a savings account offering where eligible customer cash is protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The Circle partnership via the Mint platform anchors the European side. With EURC and USDC widely used in institutional settings, ClearBank Europe’s ability to custody and facilitate these assets under MiCA oversight gives clients a regulated on-ramp for treasury management and cross-border settlement.
European banks and fintechs are racing to secure MiCA licenses before transitional periods expire. ClearBank Europe’s use of the streamlined notification route demonstrates how existing credit institutions can enter the crypto-asset service space without a standalone authorization process, which typically entails longer timelines and deeper regulatory scrutiny.