OKX Expands European Footprint with New Stablecoin Payments License

OKX is broadening its regulated services in Europe, having secured a new license that specifically targets the growing sector of stablecoin payments.

The cryptocurrency exchange revealed to Cointelegraph on Monday that it has received a Payment Institution (PI) license in Malta. The authorization is granted under the European Union’s payments framework and is strategically designed to align the exchange’s payment products with the stipulations of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2).

The regulatory requirement dictates that crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) engaging in payment services with stablecoins must be in possession of either a PI license or an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) authorization. The receipt of this PI license comes over a year after OKX first obtained a MiCA license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) in January 2025.

According to MFSA records, the PI license was officially issued on Feb. 11 and is now listed on the company’s website as a Financial Institution license. This authorization empowers the exchange to offer a full range of payment services across the EU, including the facilitation of cash deposits and withdrawals from payment accounts and the execution of all associated account maintenance operations.